Match Review-Kings XI Punjab Vs Royal Challengers Bangalore-Match No.6-Dream 11 IPL 2020

 Welcome to another match review and this time, we are analyzing the match held between Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Kings XI Punjab, so let us get straight into the toss. 

1.  The Toss:

            RCB made a blunder by choosing to bowl by following the bowl first policy.  Except CSK in the first game, team which has bowled first has never won until now.  But I cannot get the fact why they are following the bowl first policy.  They think that the pitch will get better as the game progresses, but it is not, the pitch gets slower and slower as the game progresses.  Because the pitch is under very high temperature during the whole course of the game.  So it eases up during the night time and leaves cracks and the pitch gradually slows down as due makes it's way.

            All are assessing the due factor which would cause the ball to be slippery and chase to be easier but remember it is not India.  Truly Except CSK in the first match against MI no team has won a game Chasing even CSK who lost chasing in their second game.

Kohli and Rahul During The Toss

  All apart that RCB made no changes to their team but Kings XI Punjab dropped Chris Jordan and Krishnappa Gowtham and got in James Neesham and Murugan Ashwin Respectively.  

2.  First Innings: 

             KXIP came into bat with captain KL Rahul opening the batting with Mayank Agarwal.  Rahul and Mayank opened the batting in great style.  The shared the first six overs equally and then Mayank got out at the end of the 7th over.  Then Rahul paired up with Nicolas Pooran who could not gain any momentum as he succumbed after facing 18 balls to score 17 runs.  But Rahul was unstoppable as he continued to pile up the runs.  By the time Pooran had got out, Rahul had already crossed his fifty.  And Rahul was set to take on the RCB bowlers.  Then Maxwell came on but didn't have an impact once again.  Then came the Rahul Frenzy.  When Maxwell got out, the score was 128/3 in 15.2 overs, which meant that there are only 28 balls remaining. 

           Out of the 28 Karun Nair faced 8 and scored 15.  But Rahul did even better.  He faced 20 balls and scored 63 whopping runs.  That is not a surprising fact.  But the biggest surprise is that, he was playing the game from ball No.1.  In the previous game we saw Rohit Sharma getting tired during his innings and playing a Reckless shot.  But Rahul's fitness was one sort of a lesson for the youngsters.  He Smacked Dale Steyn to 57 runs, which is his worst ever figures in t20 cricket.

Sorry Dale You Have To Wait For Your First Wicket...

  But, Dale had an opportunity to get Rahul out in his 3rd over.  That was the time when Rahul was starting to loose his strings.  He had bowled a slower one and Rahul mistimed it.  The ball went to the hands of Kohli who tried to take a one handed catch. 

The Drop Catch Really Cost Kohli.

But Kohli messed it up and dropped Rahul.  And he dropped it again in the next over and Rahul paid him back.

          Finally Rahul broke the record books by registering the highest score in the IPL by an Indian by scoring 132 off 69.  He also registered his first IPL hundred as a captain.  He took the score to 206 /3 at the end of the 20th over.  So let us see whether RCB matched their total.

3.  Second Innings:

                 The Second Innings reminded us of the older RCB or the typical type of an RCB chase.  RCB started the chase in worst ever fashion as youngster Devdutt Padikkal failed to replicate his first match success.  Cottrell came among the wickets again.  Then his compatriot Shami removed Phillipe.  Then Cottrell came back to remove Kohli.  All of RCB's hopes were resting on two men ABD and King Kohli.  But Kohli's worst form continued as he top edged it straight to Ravi Bishnoi.

  Then came the game changers.  The two leggies, Ravi Bishnoi and Murugan Ashwin simply ran through the middle order of RCB.  Murugan Ashwin removed De Villiers who was their last and only hope.  Dube and Sundar were preventing RCB from getting all out under a 100.

                Murugan Ashwin gave away 21 and got 3 wickets.  RCB's innings was all over the place, Score board pressure and some good piece of bowling from KXIP was the reason of RCB's loss.  Rahul was so happy and relieved after his first win in the IPL as a captain.  He was the main spear head and Run Bank of KXIP.  But the thing that is hurting me is Maxwell's form.  Maxwell was the main man for the Aussies on their tour to England this summer.  But his form has suddenly vanished away in this IPL.  Hope he bounces back from this.  So that is it, RCB have shown their Real Style of play to this world.  And according to me, this is a typical RCB performance.

Final Summary

                  KXIP: 206/3 20 overs

                  KL Rahul: 132(69); M.Agarwal: 26(20)

                  RCB: 109/10 17 overs

                  W.Sundar: 30(27); De Villiers: 28(18)

               Don't leave just yet, the finaly summary can also be rewritten like this. 

        K.Lokesh Rahul Beats RCB by 23 runs.  KL Rahul:132; 11.3 overs; RCB: 109/10; 17 overs.