On IPL’s 18th anniversary, RCB suffered one other harrowing low in a five-wicket defeat towards Punjab Kings that drew took again reminiscences to that eventful begin in 2008 on the M Chinnaswamy Stadium
Seventeen years have handed since that momentous evening in Bengaluru on IPL’s first cry when a 19-year-old Virat Kohli’s child steps on the scene have been rocked early by a pacy brief supply. Rushed by way of in his tried flat-pull throughout the turf, the uncapped Delhi boy’s debut lasted 5 deliveries for one run – an try to impress with a counter-punching stroke below mounting strain coming undone.
When the IPL behemoth ushered in its 18th birthday on a wet Friday night on the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, the league’s highest-ever run-scorer and his facet had a selected drawback to cope with – the unfriendly house floor itself.
.@PunjabKingsIPL‘s pink is shining vivid in Bengaluru ❤️
They proceed their profitable streak with an all-round present over #RCB 👏
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— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 18, 2025
Beginning the rain-marred contest towards Punjab Kings third on the standings with 4 wins, RCB suffered a 3rd successive house defeat, with Kohli drawing an undesirable parallel to that fateful opening in 2008. A deadly pull resulted within the 36-year-old falling on 1 once more as he tried to disrupt Arshdeep Singh’s lengths. That was regardless of shedding his opening accomplice Phil Salt to the same rash stroke off a shorter size within the opening over to the left-arm seamer.
A curtailed four-over Powerplay in a 14-over sport didn’t assist the impetuous nerve. Neither did a sticky Chinnaswamy pitch that appears all of the extra sluggish at any time when the house facet has walked out to bat this season.
Bowling juggernaut
For all their batting machismo, Shreyas Iyer’s males have turned a pivotal nook with the ball just a few nights in the past, dumping KKR to a shocking 16-run defeat in a 112-run chase.
If Kohli and Salt can take the Powerplay leeway for his or her miscued slogs, the tame swipes by Liam Livingstone and Jitesh Sharma both facet of the sq. solely exacerbated their plight.
As Arshdeep returned to his wicket-taking methods up high, it was Marco Jansen’s ‘Check-match’ lengths – capped by a rip-snorting bumper to snap Krunal Pandya – and former RCB common Yuzvendra Chahal’s spin internet that provided harsh recollects to the house followers.
Yuzvendra Chahal Weaves an internet with a good spell of two/11 🕸️
🔽 Watch | #TATAIPL | #RCBvPBKS | @yuzi_chahal
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Maybe, it was the necessity for an out-and-out assault within the shortened burst that compelled RCB to cull Devdutt Padikkal out and promote skipper Rajat Patidar again to quantity three. Breezing by way of a begin with a nonchalant pull off Arshdeep and a characteristically beautiful pick-up pull off Xavier Bartlett, Patidar flickered earlier than self-combusting. Regardless of hovering to the 1,000-run mark in his IPL profession as one of many quickest Indian batters with a 150-plus strike fee, Patidar’s patchy affiliation with Bengaluru continued along with his common dropping under 22 in 10 outings on the floor. Nevertheless, it took a ripping leg-break from Yuzvendra Chahal’s artillery to land the spin-bashing Patidar’s favoured inside-out shot at large long-off.
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David’s brawn
For as soon as, Tim David couldn’t complain in regards to the lack of deliveries to showcase his wares. Getting into within the seventh over shortly earlier than Patidar’s dismissal, the vary of the towering Aussie’s muscle, scythes, pulls and hefty slogs provided RCB followers a semblance of hope.
Maiden #TATAIPL FIFTY 🔥
Tim David’s explosive 50* (26) offers #RCB a robust end 💪
🔽 Watch | #RCBvPBKS
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 18, 2025
Even when his mates struggled to time the slogs on a cheesy pitch, the additional second on the ball solely performed into David’s arms. Dropping out on the whole twelfth over when Punjab spinner Harpreet Brar picked up back-to-back wickets to depart RCB 9 down, he adeptly unleashed his standing as some of the feared ball-strikers by hogging all the final 12 deliveries, smearing 31 runs. A hat-trick of sixes off Brar deserved a share of fortune with a no-ball that helped David cross his maiden IPL half-century off 26 balls.
Sticky wicket
The chase was no cakewalk regardless of Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh reeling in early boundaries as Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar would serve the ripostes from rib-tickling lengths on the shorter facet.
After the duo eliminated the openers inside the Powerplay, Hazlewood’s third over cracked the sport open, jolting Shreyas Iyer and Josh Inglis with a smattering of managed short-pitched bowling for catches behind the wicket.
#RCB are pumped and HOW 🤩
Sharp catch by Jitesh Sharma and #PBKS are 4️⃣ down 👌
Top quality over from Josh Hazlewood 🫡
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— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 18, 2025
Whereas Hazlewood’s 3/14 in three overs would have despatched shivers down the PBKS camp, southpaw Nehal Wadhera discovered the discharge with two smites towards leggie Suyash Sharma in successive overs to quell the probabilities of one other low-total defence. Redemption for RCB might come as early as Sunday in Mullanpur when the 2 groups meet once more.
Transient Scores: Royal Challengers Bengaluru 95/9 in 14 overs (Tim David 50 not out; Marco Jansen 2/10) misplaced to Punjab Kings 98/5 in 12.1 overs (Nehal Wadhera 33 not out; Josh Hazlewood 3/14) by 5 wickets