The Royal Challengers Bangalore produced a dominant outing against the Rajasthan Royals in a key 2023 Indian Premier League clash on Sunday afternoon, reducing the side to 28/5 in a 172-run chase in Jaipur. It was a shocking collapse from the Royals' batting order, as Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler were dismissed without troubling the scorers, while Sanju Samson also departing on 2.
Joe Root, who finally had a chance to bat after resting in the dugout in past two games, failed to make a difference as well, as he was dismissed on 10. RR's struggles continued even after the Powerplay as Dhruv Jurel, who has played important knocks for the side in the past, was dismissed on 1 merely four deliveries later.
Also read: 'Naveen-ul-Haq destroyed him': Virat Kohli brutally mocked for 'Test match knock' during RR vs RCB match
The RR had hopes from the partnership of Shimron Hetmyer and Ravichandran Ashwin, but Anuj Rawal's brilliance behind the stumps ensured an early finish to the game. Rawat's spectacular run out of Ashwin left both – the batter and Hetmyer – stunned as RR were eventually bowled out on 59.
Watch the dismissal:
{{/usCountry}}Watch the dismissal:
{{/usCountry}}Earlier, opting to bat, skipper Faf du Plessis (55 off 44) and Glenn Maxwell (54 of 33) scored half-centuries to help RCB post a competitive 171 for five. Du Plessis and Maxwell stitched a 69-run partnership for the second wicket to set the platform for the total.
Their bowlers, led Wayne Parnell (3/10) then put up scintillating display to bowl out Rajasthan for a paltry 59 in 10.3 overs. Michael Bracewell (2/16)and Karn Sharma (2/19) picked two wickets each.
The colossal 112-run win over the Royals helped the RCB climb to fifth spot in the points table with a positive Net Run Rate (0.166). The Royals, meanwhile, are down to sixth spot but retain a positive NRR, albeit lower than RCB (0.140). However, Sanju Samson's men have played a game more than the Royal Challengers, which makes things trickier for side as it aims for a playoff berth.