IPL 9, Match 11: RCB v DD - 5 Talking Points

The Royal Challengers slumped to a shock defeat at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium courtesy of a 7-wicket win. While the left-handed batsmen in the RCB ranks, especially Chris Gayle failed to get going, another southpaw in the form of Quinton de Kock stole the show with his amazing outing with the bat. Apart from de Kock, it was an evening for fine batting. Virat Kohli, as expected fired on all cylinders as he slammed his way to a virtuoso half century. His deputy, of sorts AB de Villiers too made hay while the sun shined at the compact expanse of the M Chinnaswamy stadium. However, it was the Delhi Daredevils (DD) who picked up the win as they picked up their first win in Bangalore since the summer of 210. Apart from a simply atrocious catch by Shane Watson and David Wiese, there were many more talking points on hand. Here are five of the most prominent of them.

1. Chris Gayle and the misfiring cannon:

Chris Gayle’s bat began misfiring since the Group Stages of the World T20. He slammed a magnificent century against England but failed to reproduce the form he showed in the subsequent matches. West Indies won the World T20 title, but the form of Gayle was a major concern. Especially with the heavy dependence of the Royal Challengers on the southpaw, his contribution with the bat was important. Even if it was just a 20 or 30-run knock. However, a string of ducks in the current IPL hasn’t helped his cause as he faces the prospect of being left out of the team. He was dismissed by Zaheer Khan in the first over of the match.

2. Kohli and de Villiers to the rescue once more:

As they did against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, skipper Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers came to the rescue. Apart from smashing the ball into the gaps as they did regularly, the duo ran between the wickets with amazing intensity as they once again added the lions’ share of the score. Sure enough, the duo had added 107 runs by the time de Villiers was dismissed. Kohli and AB smashed 79 and 55 respectively, contributing 16 boundaries and 4 sixes together.

3. Mohammad Shami’s long awaited comeback:

Mohammad Shami has been in and out of the Indian side since the conclusion of the 2015 World Cup down under. Despite making it to the national side for the World T20, Shami didn’t make a single appearance. However, following a magnificent performance with the ball against the Royal Challengers, Shami may well be back to his best. Despite conceding 34 runs from his quota of 4 overs, he picked up the important wicket of Virat Kohli before doing in Shane Watson for pace. Moreover, he ran out RCB starlet Sarfaraz Khan. The return of Shami may well be the tonic the DD needed.

4. The Quinton de Kock show:

The cricketing fraternity regards Sourav Ganguly as the God of the off-side. Well, if they saw the way de Kock batted, they have definitely found his disciple. De Kock was simply impossible to bowl to. He cut and slashed at the RCB bowlers showing absolutely no mercy. At one point, it seemed as though all of Virat Kohli’s fielders were on the off side. Five guys and a packed off-side field. De Kock and only de Kock managed to find the gap between them. A 108-run knock from 51 deliveries is certainly not enough to praise his innings. Perhaps his 15 fours could draw a flicker of light to the masterclass of his innings.

5. De Kock and Karun Nair wrap up impressive Daredevils win:

While Quinton de Kock underlined why he is the undisputed future of the South African cricket team, Karun Nair was perhaps more than happy to play second fiddle tonight. The wily Mr. Nair knows the M Chinnaswamy stadium only all too well. He has played most, if not all of his domestic cricket in the venue. He wasted little or no time in setting himself before going after the bowling. He remained unbeaten on 53 off just 41 deliveries as the Daredevils coasted to a 7-wicket win.

How did Twitter react to the game? – Twitter Reactions: De Kock’s 100 guides Delhi Daredevils to a super win