Familiar issues returned to haunt Royal Challengers Bangalore as their bowling let them down in Sunday’s 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) opener against the Punjab Kings at DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai. Virat Kohli had been on the receiver end in many such opposing chases, but it was new captain Faf du Plessis who saw Punjab batters blast down a 206-run, 6-ball target.
Wanindu Hasaranga, RCB’s top-cost overseas spinner, was cleaned up by compatriot Bhunuka Rajapaksa, who had a 43-match win with just 22 balls after Punjab’s redesigned opening games Mayank Agarwal (24-ball, 32) and Shikhar Dhawan (29-ball ) hit 43) sewed a 71-run stance in just 43 balls.
PBKS vs RCB, IPL 2022 highlights
Hasaranga picked up a wicket, that of Mayank, in the first delivery of his spell after being picked at the IPL 2022 auction for Rs 10.75 crore but he licked heaps when Rajapaksa slapped him in the clean.
Punjab packed their team with power hitters after a successful IPL 2022 mega-auction and it paid off in the opener as the Bangalore bowlers faced one big hitter after another on Sunday.
Mohammed Siraj had stalled Punjab’s attack in the 14th set by wicking the dangerous Rajapaksa and young Raj Bawa in back-to-back deliveries, but the beating of power didn’t stop from Punjab. Siraj ended an unforgettable night with numbers of 2/59.
While Liam Livingstone managed 2 sixes for his 10-ball 19, Odean Smith missed 3 sixes for his 8-ball 25 when the West Indies star made good with the ball on an expensive 4-over spell. Shahrukh Khan went undefeated and hit the winning runs as Punjab accumulated 2 points.
FAF SPECIAL FOR RCB
Earlier in the day, Faf du Plessis Chennai Super Kings fans felt sorry for them her team’s decision to let him go with a blistering 88 from just 57 balls. The new RCB captain, who took on the RCB color after almost a decade at CSK, showed why he is one of the highly rated batters in the league by hitting 7 sixes and 3 boundaries.
Du Plessis looked like he was struggling with timing after Mayank won the throw and went bowl, but the South African batter switched effortlessly. The RCB captain didn’t panic when faced with point balls at the start as he went into a six-shot mode to even out all those deliveries late in the innings.
BREATHTAKING CARGO
He batted on 23 balls from 34 as the lack of competitive action was evident in the way the South Africa batsman struggled with timing. Despite a 50-run opening stand with young Anuj Rawat, RCB didn’t move the scoreboard at a brisk pace, hitting 79 in just 10 overs.
However, Faf du Plessis broke the bonds in the 13th over when West Indian pacer Odean Smith bowled while the RCB skipper tonked the fast bowler for 2 sixes and a boundary. There was no turning back from there as the South African star hit 7 sixes and 3 boundaries and ran hard between the wickets in his 118 run streak with Virat Kohli.
Eventually, du Plessis fell 12 runs short of his first hundred in the IPL. However, Kohli and Dinesh Karthik continued the carnage, adding 37 runs in the last 17 deliveries. While Kohli went unbeaten on 41 balls from 29, Karthik smashed 32 balls from 14 as RCB’s old guard advanced to help them post 205/2 in 20 overs.
It wasn’t a memorable outing for the PBKS bowlers as their West Indian recruit Odean Smith conceded 52 runs in 4 overs while New Ball bowlers Sandeep Sharma, Arshdeep Singh and Spinner Harpreet Brar also conceded plentifully.
Leg spinner Rahul Chahar, starting a new stint at PBKS after his stint with the Mumbai Indians, was the bowlers’ pick with numbers of 22/1 in 4 overs in a match that scored more than 400 runs.
ROHIT I am stunned
In the first game of the first double-header of the season, the Mumbai Indians were stunned by the Delhi Capitals’ Rohit Sharma, although their most expensive purchase, Ishan Kishan, justified its price tag with a stunning 81-not-out. Mumbai scored 177/5 in 20 overs but they let Delhi snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
Rohit’s men looked set to end a 9-year wait for an opening campaign victory as they rocked Delhi by 104/6 in the 14th over. Delhi, however, found unlikely hitting heroes in Lalit Yadav and Axar Patel as they sewed up a 75-run unbeaten streak in just 30 balls to earn a 4-wicket win.
Rohit’s day was made worse when he was fined Rs 12 lakh for slowly exaggerating in their defeat.
Aside from Prithvi Shaw (38) and Delhi’s provisional opener Tim Seifert (21), none of the others in the top six got going. Mandeep Singh (0), Captain Rishabh Pant (1) and big hitter Rovman Powell all failed.
However, Lalit shouldered the burden and took his time before launching a late attack. He was joined by all-rounder Shardul Thakur, who turned the momentum in Delhi’s favor with an 11-ball 22.
Then all-rounder Axar Patel took over, smashing 38 balls from just 17, hitting 3 sixes and 2 boundaries.
BUMRAH HAS FRIDAY
The Mumbai Indians were hoping for Jasprit Bumrah to get going, but the Star Pacer was taken to the cleaners. Bumrah conceded 43 runs in just 3.3 overs in one of his worst spells in league history. The elder Pacer did not save a wicket.
However, Mumbai would have drawn positive results from the performances of newcomers Murugan Ashwin and Basil Thampi. While Ashwin finished with numbers of 2/14 in 4 overs, Thampi picked up 3 wickets and led the Mumbai Indians’ death bowling effort.
