Pushed into a tight corner, Royal Challengers Bengaluru rose above their frailties to notch four wins on the trot and stay alive in the race to play-offs. However, a volatile Delhi Capitals offer them a different challenge in their penultimate IPL league match in Bengaluru on Sunday.
On a night packed with drama, milestones, and momentum swings, five batters rose above the rest to set Eden Gardens alight.
Gujarat Giants will be wary of Royal Challengers Bengaluru's newfound firepower in the middle-order when the teams clash in the Indian Premier League in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
The whole stadium gave Mahendra Singh Dhoni a standing ovation as he walked back after his dismissal in the final over -- in what could be his final walk off a cricket field.
Mitesh Patel and Atit Sheth staged a spirited recovery for Baroda, taking them to 241 for six against defending champions Mumbai on day one of their Ranji Trophy opener in Vadodara on Friday.
The standout performers for DC with the ball were Kuldeep Yadav (2-17 in 4 overs) and Vipraj Nigam (2-18 in 4 overs).
The West Indian achieved this feat during the match against Gujarat Titans at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai after he dismissed Abhinav Manohar, Lockie Ferguson, Rahul Tewatia and Yash Dayal in the 20th over as Gujarat Titans were restricted to 156 for 9 after electing to bat.
'Virat and Rohit not playing (Duleep Trophy) was not good for Indian cricket, nor was it good for the two players. Had they played the Duleep Trophy and had some time in the red-ball cricket, things would have been different.'
Spinner Krunal Pandya upstaged brother Hardik as Royal Challengers Bengaluru edged Mumbai Indians by 12 runs in a high-scoring thriller.
The Bengaluru outfit will hope for a reversal at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium, a venue that carries similar traits as RCB's home -- Chinnaswamy Stadium -- in terms of a smooth pitch and a blistering outfield adding value to the batters' shots.
The first Test, beginning in Chennai on Thursday, is expected to be played on the red-soil trampoline which often offers good purchase to pacers, but the black-soil composition is more likely to assist the spinners.
The KKR think-tank might not be unduly worried as their campaign is still at a nascent stage, but they would like to see the first-choice pacer and spinner finding their range at the earliest.
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Stationed at mid off, Du Plessis 'flew' with his right hand stretched out to pluck it out of the air. The 39 year old timed his jump to perfection as he was 2.3 metres off the ground when he grabbed the ball.
With the IPL 2024 season heading towards its business end, and RCB finding themselves in a must-win situation, Player of the Match Mohammad Siraj put up a stellar show with the ball in front of home fans.
From a maths perspective, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans can still reach the IPL playoffs, but they need to ward off inner gremlins on Saturday to notch a mandatory win to keep that dream flickering.
Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh voiced his concerns regarding Royal Challengers Bengaluru's bowling unit, which conceded the highest total in the history of the Indian Premier League against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Gurnoor Brar has been drafted in specifically to get some simulation for the high-arm action of Bangladesh pacer Nahid Rana
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'We want to look at the future and try and make sure we get the right guys in as well.'
While the dropped catches and missed run-outs were undeniable, the match did see some impressive grabs by both teams.
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Jadeja, 33, was forced to withdraw from India's Asia Cup campaign after the group stages in order to undergo surgery for a chronic knee problem. Jadeja missed the whole T20 World Cup, despite India coach Rahul Dravid's initial optimism that he may recuperate in time to participate in India's campaign.
Sarfaraz became the first cricketer to score a double century for Mumbai in the Irani Cup, solidifying his reputation as a formidable batsman.
Green pocketed just one wicket, but his tight overs put the necessary pressure on the DC scoreboard as the match slipped away from the visitors.
It is understood that the selectors are looking to bring more variations into the pace attack and hence a left-arm seam and swing bowler could be added to the bouquet of pacers vying for a Test cap.
Karn Sharma took a sharp catch off his own bowling to send back Abdul Samad.
He also praised opposite number Hardik Pandya.
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It rained fours and sixes in Bengaluru as a total of 549 runs were scored -- the highest aggregate in a T20 match.
The cupboard is bare and it will take some time to prepare another cracking line-up that can match the aura of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma.
Easwaran compiled an unbeaten 151 off 212 balls, and laced his innings with 12 fours and a six on the third day of the match at the Ekana Cricket Stadium.
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RCB's openers gave the hosts the perfect start, before the middle order delivered once again to take the hosts to a defendable total. Cameos from Dinesh Karthik and Glenn Maxwell added the final flourish.
India captain Rohit Sharma including mainstays Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja have placed in the highest category of BCCI central contracts.
Stunning catches from the Punjab Kings-Royal Challengers Bengaluru game.
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