Warner's blitz unable to outdo Karthik's flourish

The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) defeated the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the twenty-seventh game of the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL). The match was played in the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Dinesh Karthik was adjudged to be the Man of the Match.

Royal Challengers off to a shaky start

Mustafizur Rahman worried Faf du Plessis in the first over after Rishabh Pant chose to bowl. Shardul Thakur made the initial cut on the other end, trapping Anuj Rawat leg before wicket (LBW) with an overpitched ball.

du Plessis skipped down the track to Khaleel Ahmed in the next over, seeking to go over covers. Instead, he sliced it towards deep point, where Axar Patel pouched it after taking a few steps to his right.

In the sixth over, Glenn Maxwell struck two fours off Rahman, but Virat Kohli was battling at the other end. Kohli was on 12 off 13 when he dropped one to point and started running. Maxwell saw there was no run and sent him back, but it was too late by that time. Lalit Yadav rushed towards the ball and struck the direct hit with only one stump visible, all while being off-balance. The Royal Challengers were reduced to 40 for 3 in the seventh over.

Innings resurrected by Maxwell

Maxwell had taken Kuldeep Yadav for 56 runs off 37 balls with two dismissals across all Twenty-20s coming into this encounter. Maxwell smacked Yadav for two fours and two sixes in a 23-run over on Saturday night, taking advantage of the shorter leg-side boundary. Maxwell reached his half-century from 30 balls with a four off Thakur two overs later.

Pant then switched Yadav's end, giving him the added cushion of a larger leg-side boundary. Maxwell was obliged to hit the ball straighter, but the ball sank at him, and he ended up giving long-on a simple chance.

Yadav could have also had Dinesh Karthik in his next over. He got an under edge out of a wrong 'un, but Rishabh Pant squandered the opportunity. Karthik was on 5 off 10 balls at the time.

Karthik punishes Capitals

Given Karthik's current form, it was only a matter of time before he made the Capitals pay. In the seamer's following two overs, he struck Ahmed for two sixes, but it was Rahman who took the brunt of the punishment. Karthik blasted him for 28 runs in the 18th over. 4, 4, 4, 6, 6, 4 was the sequence.

That meant Karthik brought up his half-century in just 26 balls after being on a run-a-ball 17 at one stage. Shahbaz Ahmed, who was mostly quiet until then, too, got into the act, and the two picked up another 29 in the last two overs.

Warner and Shaw get Capitals off to fast start

The Capitals got off to a fast start, with David Warner and Prithvi Shaw smashing at least one six in each of the first four overs. The two added 50 runs to the team's total in just 4.3 overs, their third consecutive fifty partnership. With Shaw's wicket, Mohammed Siraj gave some relief, but the Capitals concluded the powerplay on 57 for 1.

Mitchell Marsh struggled with timing in his first game of the season, but Warner persevered. He slog-swept Wanindu Hasaranga for a six, then took Harshal Patel for another six and four to bring up his fifty off 29 balls. Warner was eventually trapped LBW by Hasaranga after he failed to connect on a switch hit. 

Mini-meltdown

Pant smashed a couple of lapping fours off Hasaranga before hammering one back at the bowler. Hasaranga attempted to stop it, but the ball brushed against his fingertips before hitting the stumps at the non-striker's end. Marsh, who was out of his crease, was put out of his anguish. He returned for 14 out of 24 balls.

Rovman Powell nicked Josh Hazlewood for a first-ball duck in the next over (the 15th of the innings). Lalit Yadav holed out to deep square leg on the last ball of the over, bringing the Capitals' total to 115 for 5 in the space of seven balls.

Kohli's brilliance puts an end to Pant

Pant threatened to steal the game from the Royal Challengers. After Thakur smashed Hasaranga for a six over long-on, Pant followed with a back-to-back four and six. He sent Mohammed Siraj over deep midwicket in the next over to reduce the equation to 48 runs needed from 22 deliveries.

Pant attempted to smash a high full toss bowled by Siraj but lost his balance. Kohli moved to his right, timed his jump perfectly, and picked it out with one hand while it was still heading over extra cover. Hazlewood blasted Thakur out two overs later to guarantee there was no miracle.