IPL 2021: Match 35, RCB vs CSK – Who Said What

Chennai Super Kings won their second game on the bounce in UAE to climb atop the IPL points table as they handed Royal Challengers Bangalore a six-wicket defeat in Sharjah.

Put in to bat, RCB had an innings of two halves, with the first 10 overs producing 90 runs at no loss as opposed to 66/6 in the last 10. They got to the best of starts, as Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal unsparingly punished each of the CSK bowlers en route to their 111 runs stand for the first wicket but things spiralled downwards once Bravo (3/24) struck to remove Kohli for 53.

RCB’s explosive middle-order comprising AB de Villiers, Glenn Maxwell and Tim David did not live up to the billing, with Shardul Thakur and Bravo tying the scoring and chipping regular wickets including Thakur’s consecutive strikes in the 17th over that saw the back of both Padikkal (70 off 50) and de Villiers.

Chasing 157, CSK made a start no less impressive than RCB, with Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis scoring runs quickly. Their 71-run alliance was broken by Chahal, who sent back Gaikwad for 38 off 26; and RCB gave themselves a glimmer of hope when Glenn Maxwell removed Faf du Plessis (31 off 26) in the immediately following over, but Moeen Ali and Ambati Rayudu ensured to avoid any mishap, scoring quickfire 23 and 32 respectively to keep their team abreast with the required rate.

Harshal Patel struck in consecutive overs to dismiss both before Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni got the remaining runs with 11 balls and 6 wickets left in the bank.

Losing skipper Virat Kohli:

The wicket did slow down a bit. But I feel we left out 15-20 runs out there. 175 would’ve been a winning total. Didn’t bowl consistently. Didn’t show that much courage I guess with the ball. They bowled well in the back end of the innings, executed the slower balls and yorkers nicely. We spoke of areas we didn’t want them to hit and we didn’t do that. That little bit of X factor was missing in the first 5-6 overs. Got to get on that winning run again. This one is a bit more disappointing. The first one we just weren’t in the game. Have to show more courage in crunch moments. This tournament goes by quickly.

Ruturaj Gaikwad:

I was very happy when we won the last match, happy with this one as well. The opening partnership is always important, the new ball was coming onto the bat, we just had to play good cricketing shots. We complement each other well (on his partnership with Faf du Plessis), we know when to attack and which bowler to go after, that’s what is working well for us. Just try and be consistent, just contribute for the team, whatever you can do for the team, that’s important.

Winning skipper MS Dhoni:

We were worried about the dew and we saw that last season. They got off to a great start and after the eighth or ninth over, the pitch slowed down a bit. Jadeja’s spell was very crucial especially with the way Padikkal was batting from one end. I told Moeen that he would bowl from one end during drinks, but then I changed my mind. I decided Bravo should bowl because the more you delayed him, the more difficult it was given that he’d have to bowl four straight overs in these difficult conditions. Our players have worked hard and understood their roles and responsibilities. All three grounds here are different. This one is the slowest of the lot. I felt the left-right combination here was important with the bat.

Player of the Match Dwayne Bravo:

IPL is the toughest competition in the world. It works on some days and on some days it doesn’t. My pride and my love for this game keeps me going. Virat was a very important wicket and RCB are a big side. I just wanted to keep it simple. As I said, preparation is the key for me. I practice in the nets, keep myself healthy and use my experience to come up in these situations. Experience will always get us through in this franchise. The message from the coach in the dressing room is that we might not always be the quickest, but we will get the job done.