Bangalore batting has collapsed again for a two-digit score. Their captain’s heroics could not save them, as no other batsman reaches even a two-digit score. They could only manage 96 runs in their 20 runs, with nine wickets down. Earlier, RCB bowlers did a decent job of restricting RPS to 157, with scores from Tiwary and Smith with 40 plus scores contributing. It looked as if RCB had the score in their reach, before Tahir and Ferguson bowled magical spells to give away a combined 25 runs for 5 wickets. RCB are now mathematically out of the running for the playoffs, and it remains to be seen what the management does with its current batch of players, especially batsmen, who have flopped consistently.
RCB : 96/9, 20.0 overs, RCB are out of the league!
Christian to bowl the last over. He keeps it tight, the match is already won, just a four off the last ball, 8 runs off the over. Pune have won by a massive 61 runs!
Two runs off the over, four dots, This is an excellent 19th over. RCB can not win this anymore.
Ferguson is back into the attack. He has been one of the reasons why Pune bowling has done so well today. Ferguson finishes with figures of 2-7 in this 4 overs. Brilliant!
RCB : 86/9, 18.0 overs; 72 needed off 12 balls
Christian to Kohli, out Caught by (sub)Mayank Agarwal!! It’s an easy ploy for a bowler on this pitch. When the batsman is looking to score big, all you have to do is take pace of the ball and ensure it’s not too full. Kohli sliced that drive with one hand, flew high over cover, the substitute fielder makes no mistake in the deep. Kohli c (sub)Mayank Agarwal b Christian 55(48). Chahal on the crease. RCB hopes are mostly over.
Daniel Christian is into the attack, and he starts with three consecutive dots. The run chase
Tahir to Badree, out Bowled!! The googly is very effective against the lower-order batsmen. Badree b Tahir 2(7). Sreenath Aravind comes in to bat. Third wicket for Tahir, he finishes his spell with figures of 3-18.
Tahir to Kohli, SIX, that’s a googly too short and Kohli thrashes it! Much needed boundary. Fifty up for Kohli.
Tahir is back for his last over.
The runs have dried up. Three dots, followed by a wide. 3 runs off this over. The required rate has climbed to a whopping 21!
Unadkat to bowl the 16th over.
RCB : 71/7, 15.0 overs; 87 needed off 30 balls
Tahir to Milne, out Caught by Smith!! Catching practice for Smith. Milne c Smith b Tahir 5(8). Samuel Badree, right handed bat, is on the crease.
Imran Tahir is in into the attack again. He is having a good day, tight bowling restricts Kohli and Milne to only singles and doubles.
Only singles off the over, just 5 runs. The run rate is climbing.
Unadkat is back into the attack.
Time out. RCB need 97 off 42 balls. RCB only have 4 wickets, this is getting very tough for the RCB. Skipper Kohli is fuming under the helmet, but he ain’t letting it show.
Just a run and wicket off the over. The chase is increasingly getting out of Bangalore’s hands.
Tahir to Negi, out, Caught by Christian!! Negi had to go for it, but he shouldn’t have hit it straight down the ground. Kohli is fuming under that helmet, but he doesn’t reveal anything. He’s standing there helpless. Negi c Christian b Tahir 3(7). The RCB ship is sinking. Adam Milne is on the crease.
Imran Tahir is back into the attack.
RCB : 60/5, 12.0 overs
Daniel Christian is back into the attack. The pressure is on the Bangalore side. Only singles and doubles, seven runs off the over.
Washington Sundar to bowl his second over. Keeping it tight, only four singles off it. RCB need to step up, if they are serious about the run chase.
Ferguson may have sent the Bangalore side packing. 1 run and 1 wicket off the 9th over.
Lockie Ferguson to Binny, out Caught by Washington Sundar!! RCB are falling away, Vettori looks motionless in the dug-out! Binny falls to the short ball and his team have lost half their side now. Are they going to be the first team to be knocked out? Binny c Washington Sundar b Lockie Ferguson 1(7). Pawan Negi is on the crease.
Lockie Ferguson is on for his third over.
RCB : 48/4, 9.0 overs; Sachin Baby falls to Sundar
Washington Sundar to Sachin Baby, out Caught by Smith!! Kohli looks upset as another wicket falls down! Baby’s comeback is brief and short. This was pushed through flatter and on his pads, Baby went back on the punch, hit it firmly but in the air – just about carried to mid-wicket where Smith slid forward and held on. He wasn’t sure that it carried, but the soft call was OUT and it stayed with the original call. Sachin Baby c Smith b Washington Sundar 2(4). Stuart Binny, right handed bat, comes in to bat.
Washington Sundar, right-arm off break, comes into the attack.
Two runs and a wicket this over. Ferguson has been a big revelation as a bowler today.
Lockie Ferguson to Kedar Jadhav, out Kedar Jadhav Run Out!! 1 run completed. Kohli looks livid, but he has a part in this dismissal. Kedar Jadhav run out (Lockie Ferguson/Dhoni) 8(12). This is a big blow for RCB. Sachin Baby, left handed bat, is now on the crease.
Lockie Ferguson is back for his second over.
Tight first over by Tahir, four singles and two dots off it. Pune have put the breaks in the Bangalore run chase.
Imran Tahir, right arm leg break, is into the attack.
Poor start to the innings again, by RCB. Kohli is still on the crease, he has to stay till the end if Bangalore are to pull off this chase.
RCB : 39/2, 6.0 overs; Ferguson removes de Villiers
Jadhav smacks Christian to four off the third ball. Nice way to get going, tad shorter and wider of off, Kedar is quick to rock back and pulls it high and over mid-on, a few bounces and over the ropes. 6 runs off the over.
Daniel Christian, right arm medium, into the attack.
Lockie Ferguson to de Villiers, out Caught by Manoj Tiwary!! de Villiers c Manoj Tiwary b Lockie Ferguson 3(8). Not waiting for anything after all! Kedhar Jadhav is on the crease.
Lockie Ferguson, right-arm fast, comes into the attack.
Unadkat is on for his second over. Three singles, including a leg bye, and a double off the over. Just 5 runs. Are the masters waiting for something big?
RCB : 25/1, 3.0 overs; Head falls cheap
Two more fours, Kohli is looking dangerous for the Pune side, they will have to get his wicket and soon if they want to stay in the game. 14 runs off this over.
Chahar to Kohli, FOUR, creamed, but that was poor fielding from Tahir, went down in a heap and ended up diving over the ball. On a good length and well outside off, Kohli leans into the drive and finds the gap past cover. Tahir ran to his right and made a big mess of it.
Chahar to bowl the third over.
Unadkat to Head, out Bowled!! Unadkat has struck early and it’s a por start for RCB once again! Head b Unadkat 2(5). AB de Villiers walks in.
Unadkat to Kohli, FOUR, cracking shot, width on offer from Unadkat, Kohli leans into the ball and cracks it in front of square on the off-side, splits the gap past point and rolls away to the fence
Jayadev Unadkat is in from the other end.
Tight first over by Chahar, just four runs off it.
Head and Kohli are at the crease. Head is on strike. Chahar will open the attack
RPS : 157/3, 20.0 overs; RPS set target of 158
2 runs to end the innings. 9 off the over, not the ending RPS were hoping Dhoni and Tiwari would provide.
Aravind to Manoj Tiwary, FOUR, jumps down the pitch and edges a firm drive wide of a diving short third. Much-needed boundary that.
Aravind to bowl the last over.
Milne into the attack. Four! Tiwari this time! However, the boundary will hardly offset the two dots before the boundary and after. Just 8 off the over.
10 runs off this over. Pune will need bigger overs, if they are to put the match out of Bangalore’s reach.
Aravind is back for his third over, and SIX, the 400th six of the tournament and it has come from MS. No fuss, just a touch outside his crease, picks the bones out of a half-volley and golf-swings it straight down the ground for a 80-plus metre maximum
RPS : 129/3, 17.0 overs
Manoj Tiwary hits Milne for four off the fifth ball, 14 runs off this over.
Adam Milne will bowl now. Dhoni immediately dispatches him to the boundary off the first ball.
Badree into the attack now, and he is not giving away runs. Just four singles off the over, this is very good bowling by RCB.
Negi is back into the attack. He is having a good day, and he continues the song with just two runs off the over to finish with figures of 1-18. He is playing a different game.
RPS : 109/3, 14.0 overs
Binny to Smith, out Caught by Milne!! How big a wicket is this? You just have to look at the celebrations in RCB camp Smith c Milne b Binny 45(32). Smith misses a well deserved fifty. Dhoni is out to bat.
Single by Tiwari off Binny brings up the fifty run stand.
Binny is walking in to bowl second over. Smith dispatches him for two consecutive fours.
Chahal to Manoj Tiwary, no run, in-drifter, Tiwary misses the clip and is struck in line with leg peg. Slipping further, not out. 13 off the over.
Chahal to Manoj Tiwary, SIX, that’s the shot of the game for me. Lovely use of the feet, comes dancing down towards the pitch of the ball and bulldozes it into the mid-wicket stands. Tonk!
Chahal is into the attack, and he will look to take some wickets here.
Badree has been brought into the attack, and Smith hoists him for a six, four and a four off consecutive balls! Could this be that the floodgates have opened? 16 off this over.
Negi is back into the attack, and he picks it up where he left off. Extremely good bowling, just two runs off it.
RPS : 67/2, 10.0 overs
Only singles and dots off the over, 4 runs off the tenth over. This is extremely good bowling by Aravind.
Sreenath Aravind for his second over. A single and dot off the first two balls. RCB bowlers have put a stop to the flow of runs.
Six runs and a wicket off the over. Good over by Negi.
Four! That is a nice way to get off the mark!
Manoj Tiwary is on the crease.
Negi is back for his second over. Negi to Tripathi, out Caught by Kedar Jadhav!! Tripathi c Kedar Jadhav b Negi 37(28). This is a huge blow! Just when he was looking to settle in. Tripathi will be disappointed. Another 30+ score for him, but could not capitalise on it.
Singles and doubles, Smith’s running between the wickets is helping. Six runs off the over.
Stuart Binny, right arm medium, is here to take the pace off. Looking for a wicket, as both of these batsmen can be very dangerous.
Pawan Negi, left arm orthodox, is into the attack after the time out. Tight over, only singles and doubles, eight runs off it. Pune will look to Tripathi to help them fly after the 10 over mark.
RPS : 43/1, 6.0 overs
Chahal, right arm leg break, is brought into the attack, and Tripathi smashes him for two fours! 12 off the over. Tripathi is looking for a big one today. He is already on 29, nearing his sixth consecutive 30 plus score this tournament.
Aravind is keeping it tight, just a single after the six. Seven off the over.
Six! Tripathi is down on one knee and slogs it over long on. Welcome to Pune!
Sreenath Aravind into the attack.
Smith slog sweeps for a four off the second ball to take some pressure off. 6 off this over, and a wicket. Badree is having a good spell.
Badree is back into the attack, and that is OUT! There’s the breakthrough! Rahane perishes to a full toss. Rahane wanted to sweep and gets a top edge that lobs up towards short fine leg. Milne, runs back, and gobbles it up with ease. Rahane c Milne b Badree 6(8). Steve Smith walks in.
RPS : 18/0, 3.0 overs; Pune make slow start
Dropped! How costly is this going to be? Tripathi is the man in form. He looks to heave this length ball away and doesn’t get it off the middle of the bat. Virat Kohli at mid-on drops it. Nine off this over.
Milne back for his second over, and in-form Tripathi is at it again! Two fours, to midwicket and fine leg fence.
Good move bringing the spinner into the attack, just 5 off this over.
Samuel Badree, right arm leg break, into the attack.
Milne bowls a tight first over, only a wide that is a loose delivery. Just four off the first over.
Rahane and Tripathi are at the crease. Rahane is on strike. Milne will open the attack.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (Playing XI): Virat Kohli(c), Travis Head, AB de Villiers, Kedar Jadhav(w), Sachin Baby, Stuart Binny, Pawan Negi, Samuel Badree, Adam Milne, Sreenath Aravind, Yuzvendra Chahal
Rising Pune Supergiant (Playing XI): Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Tripathi, Steven Smith(c), MS Dhoni(w), Manoj Tiwary, Daniel Christian, Washington Sundar, Deepak Chahar, Jaydev Unadkat, Lockie Ferguson, Imran Tahir
Steve Smith agrees that Pune is a good chasing ground, would have batted second too. Stokes is not quite right just yet. Deepak Chahar comes in place of Shardul Thakur. Lockie Ferguson replaces Faf du Plessis.
Pune is a good chasing ground, says Kohli. Gayle, Mandeep and Aniket Choudhary are out. Binny, Baby and Milne come in.
Royal Challengers Bangalore have won the toss and have opted to field.
RCB need to win this match to stay alive in the tournament. Their last match against the Sunrisers Hyderabad was washed out to rain, giving each team a point apiece. However, the washout has put more pressure on Kohli’s side. RCB need to win five of their remaining six matches if they are to stand a chance to qualify for the playoffs.
