RCB vs RR IPL 2023

Virat Kohli led Royal Challengers Bangalore win by 7 runs

They say cricket is a game of margins. It couldn’t be truer today. The Royals got so close, and at one point it looked like we had the game in the bag. Ashwin struck two fours in the first 3 balls of the final over, but then fell attempting a maximum. Bazith came in as Impact Sub but it was too late by then. One could argue that the two runs from Ashwin left an in-form Jurel off strike, but when you’re chasing 20 off the final over and things look difficult, every run counts irrespective of who gets them. A fighting knock from Ash nonetheless.

Unfortunate to end up on the wrong side today, but we’re still on top of the table. We go again in Jaipur soon! 

An appreciation post for Dhruv Jurel. What a revelation he’s been! In his debut IPL season, he has come in to bat in pressure situations and has almost taken the Royals home. Not only has he brought the gameplay that’s needed to suit the competitive stage of the IPL, but also the courage and the intent to manufacture shots out of nowhere. He was sensational against Punjab, and he was equally bold today with his timing, placement and game awareness.

Glenn Maxwell | Man of the Match: (On batting at number 4) It’s a position I don’t mind batting, I have done it for Australia when we lose early wickets. They have given me the freedom to go out there and express myself. Came into the season with good form, and have that trust from the changeroom, that makes the difference. New ball skidded on nicely, so we had to be busy and proactive. I think the way we ended the powerplay set the foundation, although there was a bit chaos in the end. (On the way he got out) I felt it was my job to bat deeper, it was a match-up that suited me and there was some poor execution on my part. I thought if I could just take a single, maybe I could have been useful towards the death overs. Allow the new batters to settle while I could attack. However, in the end just really happy with the win.

Virat Kohli | RCB captain: To be honest, we had this discussion during toss. The pitch looked dry and I mentioned to the guys that they will have 10 overs under lights which is very difficult out here. The advantage was the ball got scuffed up. However, with the impact player rule and the extra batter, games are always on. That’s why so many close games. The counter-attack from Maxi and Faf was even better than the Chennai game, it was a better surface that day. Maxi took the game away in just four overs. We thought 160 might be enough but the way they batted helped us to 190. (On Siraj) Phenomenal, he’s got him (Buttler) out in the past and he’s bowling as well as I’ve ever seen. Running in with the new ball he shows that intent and the confidence, he has the Purple Cap and for good reason. He’s leading the attack and hopefully Josh comes in next game. (On Harshal Patel) He always bowls the tough overs, not easy at Chinnaswamy. He’s closed out games against DC and today as well. So massive credit to the way he has performed. We trust him to deliver at the death. Whenever Hazlewood comes in, we might look like a different attack.

Mohammad Siraj: I accept any challenge. My role is going well, wickets with the new ball and the ball is coming out of the hand nicely. One ball swung in the first over when it swung into Jaiswal, then concentrated on my scrambled-seam as I trust that. There was a bit of reverse and it is not easy to hit sixers off the reverse on a hard length. I’m very happy with the responsibility of leading the attack.

Sanju Samson | RR captain: I think when you are playing this ground, 10s 12s 13s in an over are chaseable. It is about getting the momentum, normally, Hetty does it for us, but he had an off-day, one shot here and there does it for us. The thought keeps on changing, depends on how the wicket plays, we decide on the time when a wicket falls. Ashwin with his experience, and he has delivered in the pressure moments in the last couple of games. A six and a four in the Ahmedabad game and we felt we could count on his experience [on Ashwin over Holder]. With the IPL games, winnings and losings is done in very small margins, keep checking small boxes, we need to keep on checking all those. If we had two losses, we need to pull up our socks’ and come back stronger in the next game.