RCB players celebrate after taking the PBKS wicket. (Image credit: IPL)
Dharamsala: It is often advised to hold your breath at higher altitudes as the air becomes thinner. But that does not apply when you have the ultra-motivated and hyper-energetic Virat Kohli encouraging your team to reach greater heights. In the mountains of Dharamsala on Sunday afternoon, Royal Challengers Bengaluru cruised into the playoffs with a 23-run win, leaving Punjab Kings gasping for survival in the Indian Super League. Go beyond boundaries with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!Kohli, who always strives for excellence, set the tone for his team that was without its main skipper Rajat Patidar due to injury. Kohli’s energy can be contagious to his teammates and the overwhelming presence can mentally weigh down the opponent. The script played out exactly as Kohli wanted. His 58 off 37 may not have been the standout performance on paper. However, that knock was the bedrock of Devdutt Padikkal’s 25-ball 45 and Venkatesh Iyer’s unbeaten 73 off 40 balls as RCB posted 222/4.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
He maintained the momentum with another deft spell with the new ball to expose the technical weaknesses of this modern T20 opener. By dismissing the deadly opening pair of Priyansh Arya and Prabhasimran Singh inside the first three overs of the chase, Bhuvneshwar tied the leash in the Punjab Kings’ chase. Captain Shreyas Iyer’s defensive style was soon exposed by established player Salam Darul Latif and the chase was reeling at 19/3 in the fourth over.
Kohli never let the tempo drop during his stay at the crease, vitally supporting his batting partners. The fist strikes felt harder. The repeated staring into the bowlers’ eyes was frightening. Sliding Kings’ best player, Harpreet Brar, was a perfect mind game. And then it was a run around the field coupled with a missile launch off the field, when Shashank Singh and Marcus Stoinis briefly threatened to script a brilliant comeback, sending a clear message to his team and the opponents – there could be no stopping the day.
Kohli and RCB emerged with one clear goal – to become the first team to book their place in the semi-finals of the competition. This is what champion teams do. They are playing for control. And that is exactly what Iyer’s Punjab Kings failed to do when they looked invincible midway through the tournament. It is also striking how a campaign that looked like a walk in the Kings’ park suddenly became a drag in the mud. It comes down to a numerical match for Punjab Kings with one game remaining after six straight defeats.
By the end of RCB’s innings, Punjab Kings’ spinners appeared like dead flies as the ball crossed the boundary with very little resistance. In 40 matches of play, RCB showed how they have evolved as defending champions. The big names stepped up and let the younger boys fly. It seemed like Iyer and Padikkal were just chipping away sixes as Kohli was keeping one company. Bhuvneshwar and Josh Hazlewood delivered exceptional overs just when Punjab Kings thought they had found some momentum with Shashank’s onslaught of 27-ball 56 runs to leave young Rasikh 33 runs to defend in the final over.