RCB win by 13 runs
Royal Challengers Bangalore 173 for 8 (Lomror 42, du Plessis 38, Kolhi 30, Theekshana 3-27) beat Chennai Super Kings 160 for 8 (Conway 56, Moeen 34, Harshal 3-35) by 13 runs
Royal Challengers Bangalore halted a run of three consecutive defeats to boost their play-offs hope thanks to a scrappy win against Chennai Super Kings, iced by a death-bowling masterclass from Josh Hazlewood and Harshal Patel.
Chennai needed 56 runs off 30 balls with six wickets in hand when the final strategic timeout was taken in their run chase but then lost their way, losing three wickets for 25 runs across the next five overs. Harshal was hit for two sixes in the final over to close the margin of defeat but in dismissing Moeen Ali and Ravindra Jadeja, he had already won the game for them.
RCB had scrapped their way to 173 for 8 after being asked to bat first, as five batters passed 20 but Mahipal Lomror top-scored with 42 off 27 balls. They had started brightly, with their highest opening stand and highest powerplay total of the season, but floundered against spin in the middle overs.
Lomror’s 44-run stand with Rajat Patidar kept them ticking before Maheesh Theekshana struck three times in the 19th over, but Dinesh Karthik took 16 runs from the final over to take them to a defendable total.
Chennai are mathematically still in contention for the play-offs but will need a miracle after seven defeats in their first ten games, while this result sees RCB return to the play-off positions for the time being - though with a poor net run-rate and having played a game more than their nearest contenders, they will need to finish the group stages strongly.
2
2
4
4
Harshal strikes again!
Harshal Patel is pumped tonight. He roared in celebration after dismissing Ravindra Jadeja and gives a double fist-pump after inducing a false shot from Moeen Ali, who toe-ends him to Siraj at extra cover on the edge of the ring the ball after mowing him for six over midwicket.
41 to win off 16 balls for CSK, with Dhoni and Pretorius at the crease... RCB are closing in.
1
2
2
4
Jadeja falls
Chants of "Dhoni, Dhoni!" as MSD walks out with 52 needed off the last 24 balls. A fantastic over from Harshal, conceding only four runs, and he finishes with the dismissal of Jadeja, well caught by Kohli off a skyer - revenge, after he was taken for 37 in an over by him last year. This is going the distance.
1
3
3
1
Down to the wire...
56 Required off the final five overs
Harshal returns for his second over, bowling around the wicket to the two left-handers. It looks like he'll bowl three of them and Hazlewood will bowl the other two, but Hasaranga has one over left if du Plessis fancies a roll of the dice.
4
1
3
2
Conway falls
Hasaranga has had an expensive game tonight but he's brought back and strikes immediately, having Conway caught on the square leg boundary. Huge wicket for RCB who are still favourites, but Chennai have Jadeja and Dhoni left to come.
Meanwhile, Glenn Maxwell has left the field after finishing his four-over spell - only the seventh time in his IPL career that he has done so.
1
3
3
Back-to-back
2
3
2
4
Harshal's delayed arrival
Harshal Patel finally comes on to bowl his first over, the 13th. If he bowls out tonight, he'll likely bowl the 13th, 15th, 17th and 19th. RCB have generally backloaded him this season - he has only bowled one over in the powerplay all campaign - but this is an extreme tactic.
But he's been hit for two boundaries in his first four balls, and the required rate is hovering around 10 an over.
1
1
1
2
Maxi strikes again!
Glenn Maxwell's around-the-wicket angle is working perfectly against CSK's right-handers. First, he has Robin Uthappa caught at point; now, he pegs back Ambati Rayudu's off stump with a length ball that he looks to punch away off the back foot.
Moeen Ali is the new man on his return to the side - Faf seems unlikely to fall into the trap of bowling a left-arm spinner to him.
1
2
1
Shahbaz Ahmed and Glenn Maxwell make the breakthroughs for RCB, who have three overs of Hasaranga left to bowl for good measure. No sign of Harshal Patel as yet, with du Plessis again back-loading his spell for the death overs.
2
1
1
2
Shahbaz strikes
4
6
2
4
Hasaranga goes the distance
1
•
•
6
1
6
Du Plessis gambles by throwing the ball to Hasaranga to bowl the final powerplay over, but his gamble backfires. Conway and Gaikwad trade sixes over midwicket, and CSK have taken 51 from the first six overs, keeping the required rate in check.
1
2
2
Hazlewood's tight start
1
1
•
•
1
•
1
•
•
•
2
•
Is there a better new-ball seamer in T20 cricket than Josh Hazlewood right now? Just six runs from his first two overs as he pounds away on a hard length - but Devon Conway has made a bright start against Shahbaz and Mohammad Siraj, with 15 off his first 9 balls.
2
2
3
2
Spin to win?
11.62 Runs per over against spin in RCB's innings, compared to 6.66 against spin
How many overs of spin will RCB get through in the run chase - and will the ball grip as much under lights as it did in the first innings? Faf du Plessis has Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror and Wanindu Hasaranga available to him and starts with Shahbaz Ahmed - though his first over costs nine runs, with Devon Conway sweeping and reverse-sweeping him for boundaries.
1
2
2
CSK need 174 to win
Watch T20 Time Out LIVE with Vettori and Bishop
•
6
2
6
W
2
16 runs off the final over, including two Dinesh Karthik sixes, and RCB finish on 173 for 8. Mahipal Lomror tells the host broadcast that should be enough, given how the pitch is playing - but he would say that, wouldn't he?
1
1
2
5
W
W
1
•
1
W
Gaurav Sundararaman tells me that this is only the second time since 2014 that Chennai have used a spinner in the final two overs of the innings, with Maheesh Theekshana held back until the 17th and the 19th.
It seemed like a plan specifically to target Dinesh Karthik's relative weakness against spin - and he only scored 6 runs off the 7 balls he faced from him - but he strikes against the other batters: Lomror, Hasaranga and Shahbaz all fall in the space of one over, and RCB are wobbling at the back end!
14
10
8
3
Theekshana held back
Interesting ploy from CSK and MS Dhoni: Maheesh Theekshana bowls the 17th over, and can bowl the 19th if they want him to. Dinesh Karthik has been significantly stronger against pace on the ball than spin over the last three seasons - before tonight, his strike rate against spin in the IPL since 2020 was 127, compared to 159 against seamers - and Theekshana's first five balls to him have cost only five runs.
5
2
3
2
The Yellow Army
3
6
8
2
Patidar falls
A very handy stand of 44 off 32 balls between Rajat Patidar and Mahipal Lomror comes to an end thanks to a fantastic catch in the deep from Choudhary. RCB might not mind about the timing of that wicket too much, though, as it gives Dinesh Karthik 4.5 overs to put his skills to use at the death.
1
1
Moeen gets Kohli!
That dismissal felt familiar... just like in the second Chennai Test last year, Moeen bowls Kohli with a beautiful, flighted offbreak from over the wicket, ripping it through the gate. RCB have lost 3 for 28 in five overs of spin after putting on 50 in five overs against the seamers, and Kohli's struggles continue: 30 off 33 balls from him today.
Across the season, he has just 216 in 11 innings, averaging 21.6 with a strike rate of 111.9. Those aren't the numbers you'd expect from a 15 crore player.
1
3
6
...but his stay is short-lived
Kohli gets deep in his crease to cut Jadeja away for four but then decides to try and pinch a quick single to retain the strike against Moeen Ali. Maxwell hesistates as he's called through and Uthappa fires the ball in from cover. Dhoni does the rest, and RCB have lost wickets in consecutive overs.
2
1
2
1
Maxwell at No. 3...
Du Plessis holes out to deep midwicket and Glenn Maxwell strides out at No. 3 for RCB. That's the first time this season he has batted at No. 3 but RCB have been more interested in entry points than old-school batting orders, and are clearly keen for him to face spin in the middle overs - he has an excellent record against the spinners.
Maruti Suzuki ASKcricinfo stat: What's Glenn Maxwell's batting average against Ravindra Jadeja in T20s?
2
1
1
The Faf-Kohli show
RCB are flying: du Plessis whacked Choudhary's third over - the fifth of the innings - for 18 runs and Maheesh Theekshana started well, conceding only six runs from the final powerplay over, this is RCB's highest powerplay total of the season and their highest opening partnership.
6
1
2
Kohli clicks into gear
4
6
2
4
Streaky start for RCB
Three boundaries in the first three overs for RCB, two of them via the edge: Kohli threw his hands at a wide ball which flew just past the wide slip, and du P;essis inside-edged Mukesh Choudhary down to fine leg. No spin in the first four overs from Chennai, which has been relatively unusual for them this season - they've bowled at least one over of spin in the first four in six of their previous nine games.
1
1
2
3
1
9
1
1
Watch T20 Time Out
Watch LIVE with Dan Vettori and Ian Bishop
2
2
1
CSK choose to bowl
MS Dhoni wins the toss in Pune but says that is not crucial at this venue. Faf du Plessis suggests he wasn't sure whether to bat or bowl first but that he might have leant towards batting, so everyone is happy.
Moeen Ali is fit again for CSK and replaces Mitchell Santner in their playing XI. RCB are unchanged from their final-over loss against Gujarat.
2
2
Can RCB get back on track?
RCB made a bright start to IPL 2022, winning five of their first seven games, but after three defeats on the spin they can hardly afford to lose against CSK tonight if they want to remain realistic contenders for the play-offs. Virat Kohli's form has been a major talking point and while a score of 58 against Gujarat Titans on Saturday might have put that to bed in another era, the fact that it came from 53 balls arguably cost RCB the game.
They might look to change things around tonight, particularly against a CSK side that has bowled a lot of spin in the powerplay of late. Don't be surprised if Wanindu Hasaranga comes up the order as a floater to partner Glenn Maxwell through the middle - or if one of their left-handers, Mahipal Lomror and Shahbaz Ahmed, gets a promotion to counter the left-arm spinners.
As for Chennai, they will need a miracle to qualify for the play-offs after just three wins from their first nine games, but the good news is that Moeen Ali and DJ Bravo might be fit enough to return - as outlined in Srinidhi's preview. One of their few stars this season has been Mukesh Choudhary, the young left-arm seamer, whom Shashank Kishore has profiled here.
In the USA, you can watch the action LIVE on ESPN+ in English and in Hindi.
1
1
1
5