Mullanpur (Punjab) [India], April 20 (ANI): Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar applauded Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli for executing the plan to perfection, singing a verse for the bowling unit in appreciation of their clinical display, which laid the foundation for their success against Punjab Kings in the ongoing 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
On Sunday, RCB stamped its authority in Mullanpur with an all-round display against the high-flying Punjab Kings. After winning the toss and opting to bowl, the Royal Challengers began their master plan to bring down Punjab.
Despite a blistering start in the powerplay, RCB made inroads by orchestrating a web of traps in the middle overs. Punjab batters got tangled in it and tilted at the windmills while trying to fight their way to a competitive total.
Marco Jansen and Shashank Singh tried to unleash a fusillade of boundaries towards the end, but Bengaluru’s quality spell ensured the blitzkrieg never arrived and kept them silent as Punjab succumbed to a paltry 157/6.
In reply, Padikkal (61) and Virat (73*) broke the backbone of Punjab’s defence by raising a 103-run partnership for the second wicket. The hosts were left gobsmacked and eventually surrendered a 7-wicket defeat.
“Credit goes to the bowlers. Dev and Kohli, the way they executed their plans. The bowlers chipped in at different stages, the way they executed their plans, it was beautiful,” Patidar said in the post-match presentation.
The spin duo of Suyash Sharma and Krunal Pandya rattled Punjab’s explosive batting unit by picking a brace each. Apart from Romario Shepherd, the rest of the pace express failed to scythe wickets but ensured not to leak runs heavily.
The RCB skipper outlined the blueprint behind their stellar show with the ball and revealed the message to the bowling unit was to keep the lines “tight” due to the slow-paced nature of the wicket.
“Had to bowl tight lines as the wicket was a little slow. That was the message to all the bowlers. We had a chat last night about our fielding. Everyone put in their efforts, and that was beautiful,” he added.
After RCB maintained its unbeaten run away from its home stadium, Patidar wants to rectify its issues and find a solution to end its struggle in the home stadium. For Patidar, trying to play good cricket and correcting their solutions could be the key to ending their three-match losing streak at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
“I want to win a toss there (Chinnaswamy). We will try to play good cricket at our home ground, we will try to rectify our mistakes there,” he concluded. (ANI)
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