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IPL 2018: Highlights: Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bangalore: Rajasthan dump RCB out

Rajasthan Royals beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 30 runs to keep their play off hopes alive but RCB are out of the torunament

Rahul Tripathi made an unbeaten 80 to lead Rajasthan Royals charge against Royal Challengers Bangalore

Jaipur, May 19: Sometimes hindsight can create those could-have-been moments in our minds. Royal Challengers Bangalore experienced that against Rajasthan Royals here on Sarturday (May 19).

Rajasthan Royals inflicted a 30-run defeat on Royal Challengers Bangalore to knock them out of this year's IPL and keep their own chances of qualifying for the play-offs alive. As records would have it, Royals made 164/5 after batting by choice and then bowled out Royal Challengers Bangalore for 134 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here.

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But more than the defeat and the resultant end of campaign in this edition of the IPL, Royal Challengers would be hurting from the fact that two Bangalore boys engineered their downfall. They had the option of buying them at the IPL auction in January but let it slip.

K Gowtham began the work. The tall man hammered two successive sixes off Tim Southee in the 20th over Rajasthan Royals' innings to power them to a competitive total on a dusty, gripping pitch.

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And he came back to haunt RCB, castling Virat Kohli for four in the 3rd over of their innings. Kohli shimmied down the track looking for quick runs. Perhaps, he was worried over that 15.3-over mark to beat Mumbai Indians in net run rate. But Kohli could not pick the ball that darted in and saw his stumps getting rearranged.

But Kohli's departure did not hurt RCB as AB de Villiers, who struck a wonderful 50, and Parthiv Patel kept their chase on the rail with a 57-run alliance off a little over five overs.

The second Bangalore man stepped in at this juncture. Shreyas had Parthiv stumped through Heinrich Klaasen, who had a superb night behind and in front of the wicket to end that swelling partnership between De Villiers and Parthiv.

Klassen, who had made a 21-ball 32 in Rajasthan Royals' innings, effected three stumpings and a took a brilliant low-flying catch off Ben Laughlin to dismiss Sarfaraz Khan on the night to ensure that they did not miss Jos Buttler, who had returned to England to join the Test squad, one bit.

Back to the Klassen-Shreyas partnership. They combined to give marching orders to Mandeep Singh and De Villiers, who once again failed to read a googly. Shreyas also had Moeen Ali caught off his own bowling as the Karnataka leg-spinner ended with the stunning figures of 4-0-16-4 and later deservedly adjudged player of the match.

Suddenly, Royal Challengers, who were on cruise mode at 75/1 in 8.3 overs, found themselves at 98 for six in 12.4 overs and they had nowhere to go. Such a fall!

From there, only formalities were to be completed and Rajasthan Royals did that with aplomb. Before their bowlers came into act, Rajasthan found a hero in Rahul Tripathi (80, 58b, 5x4, 3x6) who held together their innings with a well-paced knock on a tough pitch.

Royal Challengers, who came into this match riding on three successive victories, might have thought of chasing down and be in the mix for a play-off berth. But the error that they made nearly five months back surfaced at the most inopportune time to hurt them.

Now, they will ponder over all that went wrong this season, while Royals, who have 14 points, will wait for other results to see whether they can enter the knockout stage. Equally agonising process they are, but one less burdensome than the other.

Story first published: Saturday, May 19, 2018, 20:23 [IST]
Other articles published on May 19, 2018