Ali's all-round performance, but Maxwell turns game

The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) defeated the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the forty-ninth game of the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL). The match was played in the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. Harshal Patel was adjudged to be the Man of the Match.

Royal Challengers heading in wrong direction

Both Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli got off to a shaky start, picking up streaky boundaries with the edge of the bat as Mahendra Singh Dhoni used his seamers with the new ball, but they pushed on: Kohli launched Simarjeet Singh for six over the covers, while du Plessis took 18 runs from the third over of Mukesh Choudhary.

However, they struggled against spin, with the fingerspinners getting some grip from a good length: du Plessis holed out to deep midwicket off Moeen Ali, while Kohli's own bat problems continued.

He was bowled through the gate by a sharply-spun offbreak from Moeen Ali for a scratchy 30 off 33 balls after calling Glenn Maxwell through for a single that was never there and seeing him run out by Robin Uthappa. The Royal Challengers had sputtered from 51 for 0 after five overs to 79 for 3 after ten.

Lomror and Karthik in charge of reconstruction

Mahipal Lomror was promoted to No. 4 after a cameo closing the innings at No. 7 against the Gujarat Titans. He started brightly, smashing Ali back over his head for four and slog-sweeping Maheesh Theekshana for six. With 4.5 overs remaining, Choudhary's superb catch at deep square leg pulled in Dinesh Karthik, but Dhoni had planned for it.

Dhoni saved Theekshana's final two overs for the 17th and 19th overs, clearly aware of Karthik's strength against pace and relative weakness against spin, as well as his seamers' inexperience at the death. He only gave up eight runs in his final over, six of which were scored by Karthik off seven balls, and struck three times, dismissing Lomror, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Shahbaz Ahmed.

However Mahipal Lomror had hit Dwaine Pretorius for a four and a six in the 18th over - and was dropped by Ravindra Jadeja - to keep the scoreboard ticking over, and after surviving an incredibly tight review for leg before wicket off the first ball of the final over, Karthik whacked him twice over deep midwicket to take the Royal Challengers to 173.

Cruise of Conway

Devon Conway, who was dropped one innings into his IPL debut, celebrated his return to the side with 85 not out against the Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday and made it back-to-back half-centuries with a fluent 56 on Wednesday night. He got off to a fast start, reverse-sweeping and sweeping Ahmed for fours in the opening over of the chase, and he and Ruturaj Gaikwad put on 51 for the first wicket.

The Super Kings, like the Royal Challengers, struggled in the middle overs against spin, particularly Maxwell, who bowled four tight overs and removed both Robin Uthappa and Ambati Rayudu, squeezing them for space from around the wicket. The Super Kings were always in the game as long as Conway was there and the required rate was met.

Finish the task, Hazlewood and Patel

Harshal Patel was kept back until the 13th over, when du Plessis threw the ball to Hasaranga for the 15th over, ensuring he would bowl three of the last five. du Plessis' bet paid off when Hasaranga went full, but Conway couldn't pass Ahmed at deep backward square leg.

When Ali lofted Hasaranga's penultimate ball down the ground for six, it appeared that he had rediscovered his groove, but the Super Kings capitulated following the time-out. Patel had Jadeja cleanly caught by Kohli off a skier and Ali pouched at extra cover, the ball after swiping him for six over the leg side, bowling his variations from around the wicket.

The game was effectively over when Hazlewood had Dhoni caught at deep midwicket with the first ball of the 19th over; his four overs had been crucial: he only went for 19 runs, bowling his hard lengths in the powerplay and at the death; Pretorius' top-edged pull off his penultimate ball was the only boundary he conceded.