At the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Royal Challengers Bengaluru emerged victorious over Punjab Kings in an exciting game. Although the hosts had the better of the majority of the game, Punjab gained some momentum because to Harpreet Brar’s skill with the ball. After Virat Kohli was removed from the game, there was hope that Punjab would win, but Dinesh Karthik once again proved to be RCB’s rescue, scoring an incredible knock to secure the victory.
Notably, Punjab Kings had difficulty for most of the first innings when they batted first, but captain Shikhar Dhawan struck 45 runs, helping PBKS score 178 runs in the opening session. Beautiful cameos by Jitesh Sharma and Shashank Singh towards the end of the innings gave PBKS a boost.
Virat Kohli versus PBKS was the main focus when it came to the chase. Kohli came up big, hitting 77 runs off of 49 deliveries, while all the other batters were having trouble against the PBKS bowling. But without Karthik, it would not have been possible to win. With just ten deliveries, the seasoned batsman hammered 28 runs to lead RCB to victory in their opening IPL 2024 encounter.
1. No discernible effect from the PBKS batters
The way their batters performed won’t make PBKS very happy. All the hitters occasionally contributed, but none of them could take advantage of it. Right now, that is a major cause for concern. The fact that Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone, two foreign players, are expected to do well, raises some concerns, but the English players have not yet shown up.
2. Brar dazzles Royal Challengers Bengaluru
At M Chinnaswamy Stadium against Bengaluru, Harpreet Brar was outstanding. He took two vital wickets of Glenn Maxwell and Rajat Patidar in his four overs, conceding just 13 runs. His influence gives PBKS a significant advantage in the game.
3. Kohli and Karthik in amazing form
The show was initiated by Virat Kohli, and concluded by Dinesh Karthik. Kohli seemed quite easy on a surface that all the other batters found difficult. Karthik walked the walk after being let out and gave a performance that his admirers will never forget. Does he have an audition for the 2023 T20 World Cup? You know, you never say never.
Also read: IPL 2024: RCB is anticipating Punjab Kings
Losing skipper Shikhar Dhawan said:
It was a good game, we brought the game back and again we lost it. We scored 10-15 runs less, in the first six overs I played a bit slow. Those 10-15 runs cost us and the dropped catch as well. (Turning point) Virat scored 70-odd runs and we dropped a catch of the class player, we paid the price. If we had taken that catch, the momentum would have come from the second ball. But we lost the momentum over there and then we paid the price for that. It looked good but it wasn’t a very true wicket, it was stopping, bit of double bounce and turned as well. 70% coming good, 30% it was doing a bit.
I am happy with my runs but I thought I could have played a bit more fast in the first six overs, that’s the only thing I felt. We lost wickets as well, we lost two wickets continuously and that put pressure on us. At the end, that’s the total we thought on this wicket. The match went till the last over, at the end also we could have bowled well. He’s bowling really well, especially bowling against left-handers, tremendous the way he soaked in the pressure and got us the breakthroughs.
Winning skipper Faf du Plessis said:
On the outside, not as much on the inside (was he calm?). Early in the competition you want to make sure you get over the line. Felt we were in the position to do that sooner. WIth the new rule, we knew we had Mahipal coming in – has lot of power. Now with the extra batter you feel like even 14-15 rpo is gettable.
Really pleased for him (DK). I said it the other night – really important for him to get his IPL going with confidence. There’s obviously a plan – from the auction – to find some sort of DNA. It is a unique ground. Even tonight the pitch was a bit different. Virat was important on that pitch. He’s still enjoying himself, very passionate about playing cricket. Fresh and motivated to do well.
POTM Virat Kohli said:
It’s been going on for years (love story with fans at Chinnaswamy). People talk about a lot of other things when you play sport – achievement, stats, numbers. But when you look back it’s the memories you create. The love, appreciation and backing I’ve received has been amazing. I try to give the team a blazing start, but if wickets fall you have to assess. Wasn’t the usual flat pitch. Disappointed I couldn’t finish the game. Was in the slot but sliced it to deep point. They know I play the cover drive well, so they’re not going to allow me to hit gaps. You have to come up with a game plan here and there.
I know my name is now attached to just promoting the game in different parts of the world when it comes to T20 cricket. I’ve still got it I guess. Just to feel normal for two months – for me, my family – it was a surreal experience. Couldn’t have been more grateful to God for the opportunity to spend time with the family. It’s an amazing experience to just be another person on the road and not be recognised. That’s the promise I can give here – I’ll keep turning up and keep trying me best.
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