RCB lost both of their openers in the first four overs of the run chase. But Faf du Plessis’ team had a chance for a spectacular victory when Will Jacks and Rajat Patidar combined to put together a 102-run partnership off of 48 balls. But they were out of there in the same over, as Andre Russell prevailed.
On Sunday, April 21 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) lost the match by a mere run after coming up short of a 223-run target against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). RCB continued to wriggle at the bottom of the standings with just two points and a dismal net run-rate (NRR) of -1.046, marking their seventh defeat in eight games.
Jacks struck a slot delivery straight to long-on for a 32-ball fifty-five, making him the first man out. After three balls, Patidar was out for a 23-ball fifty-five. He attempted to whip a slower delivery across the line to the leg-side, but it was caught by the leading edge and shot straight up into the air, landing in Harshit Rana’s clutches at backward point.
In order to prevent two fresh hitters from gathering at the crease, Rajat Patidar needs to have batted for a few more overs, according to former Australian captain Aaron Finch.
He needed to ensure that he batted two or three overs deeper in order for the RCB to have a batsman who was in. Indeed, there have been some incredible scores, and we have witnessed players trying to hit the first ball out of the park with their walkout. But it also needs to have a strategy, Finch told Star Sports.
“It is unacceptable to walk out and waste wickets, especially when it comes to batters.” Getting in is challenging enough, particularly on a surface like that where the ball was holding just enough and spinners were making a difference. It was necessary for Patidar to relax for four or five balls, advance to the next over, and then reevaluate. But two in hitters getting out in the same over is not something you can afford,” he continued.
Earlier in the day, Phil Salt’s 14-ball 48 for Kolkata, who had been invited to bat first, set them up for success. Shreyas Iyer struck a fifty-six-ball total in 36 balls to carry the KKR batting forward after Sunil Narine, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, and Venkatesh Iyer all went out cheaply. With a scorching 43-run partnership between Russell and Ramandeep Singh off just 16 balls, the hosts finished with 222/6 in their 20 overs.
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The final over requiring 21 runs for RCB to win the match was the deciding factor. In the first four balls, Karn Sharma smashed a faltering Mitchell Starc for three sixes, pushing the visitors to the limit. The Australian speedster returned, though, and removed him from the fifth ball. A runout on the final ball allowed KKR to secure two vital points and advance to the playoffs.
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