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In a thrilling finish to game 22 of IPL, Royal Challengers Bangalore team worth Rs 69.95 crore successfully defended the target of 171 against Delhi Capitals team worth Rs 51.15 crore. This is RCB’s first win in three years over DC.

The Chase

Batting 2nd on a flat Ahmedabad pitch, DC lost 4 wickets for 92 runs within 13 overs. Needing further 79 runs to win in 7 overs, skipper Pant was joined at the crease by the dashing Shimron Hetmyer and that changed the complexion of the game.

Pant 58*(48) and Hetmyer 53*(25) went berserk taking the RCB bowling apart. Hetmyer was particularly severe on Kyle Jamieson in the 18th over, hitting 3 sixes off his bowling. In the last over of the match, Pant was left with the task of scoring 14 runs to win.

The latest Indian pace sensation, Md Siraj (1/44) was up to the task for RCB. He didn’t let batsmen free their arms for the first four deliveries, leaving 10 runs to score off the last two balls. Batting on 50*, Pant hit two consecutive fours but couldn’t send the ball over the boundary. Falling 1 run short of a famous win, in the process.

AB De Villiers’ Batting Masterclass

Earlier in the game, RCB’s batting pivoted once again around AB De Villiers. V. Kohli 12(11), D. Padikkal 17(14), and G Maxwell 25(20) were dismissed cheaply and a decent score was looking elusive. But in typical Villiers style, he unleashed carnage at the back end of the innings, scoring 75* (42). In the last over of the innings, he smashed Marcus Stoinis for 23 runs taking the score to a fighting 171/5.

The 1st placed RCB has won 5 out of 6 games this season, while this is DC’s 2nd defeat of the season from 6 matches.

Here is a quick look at how the top paid players fared in this thriller:

PERFORMERS

AB De Villiers (11 Crore): The superman from South Africa, during his innings of 75* (48) becomes only the 6th batsman to reach 5000 IPL runs. He also has the highest strike rate (152.70) amongst the batsmen in the 5000 runs club. His swashbuckling innings with 5 sixes and 3 fours, left in awe his colleagues and viewers, alike. He also took 2 crucial catches during the match. For his all-around heroics, AB De Villiers was named man of the match, a record 25th time in IPL.

Shimron Hetmyer (7.75 Crore): In his typical Caribbean flair, Hetmyer scored 53*(25) with 4 sixes and 2 fours, bringing DC back into the game. It would have been a different story had he got more strike in the last over. Nonetheless, his innings surely make him the player to watch in the rest of the tournament.

LAGGARDS

Rishabh Pant (Rs 15 Crore): Though he scored a fifty in the match, his on-field tactics and inability to take his team over the line, find him amongst the laggards today. Electing to bowl first against a strong RCB line-up raised a few eyebrows and ultimately proved unsuccessful. His choice of Marcus Stoinis to bowl the last over of RCB’s innings proved fatal for the team. With the bat, he scored run a ball during most parts of his innings leaving quick scoring to Hetmyer. Needing 14 runs to win in the final over, the skipper failed to see his team over the line.

Marcus Stoinis (Rs 4.80 Crore): Playing in his 6th match this season, he had the responsibility to bowl the last over of RCB’s innings. The Aussie all-rounder kept serving medium-paced balls in the slot for De Villiers who obliged gleefully by scoring 23 of his single over. With the bat, he managed to score only 22(17) leaving the team in a dire strait.

RCB got their confidence back after the slight hiccup in the last match. The team to watch in the tournament will face Punjab Kings on 30th April. DC will face a rejuvenated KKR on 29th April in Ahmedabad.