Royal Challengers Bengaluru were blown away by the batting might of Rajasthan Royals as the defending champions lost an IPL match by six wickets on Friday.
RCB skipper Rajat Patidar credited the Royals’ batting especially that of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for taking the game away from them in the powerplay itself.
Chasing 202 runs for victory, RR’s run-chase was powered by a blazing 78 off 26 balls from Sooryavanshi and an unbeaten 81 from Dhruv Jurel. The duo took on the RCB bowlers to the cleaners as the Royals reached 97 for 1 in just six overs.
Patidar admitted that Sooryavnashi’s batting made the difference in the match. “The way their batters, especially Vaibhav, batted in the powerplay, I think that made a huge difference,” he said while speaking at the post-match presentation.
The RCB skipper said there were few positives to take from the loss after their batting revived to post a competitive total of 201 for 8.
“I think the way we started in the powerplay, the initial wickets, and from there, 202, I think that’s a positive sign for us. I think there are a lot of learnings from this game,” he said.
RCB had a tough start and quickly lost wickets, slipping to 62 for 4 and then 94 for 6. Jofra Archer struck early and even though Virat Kohli got going briefly, he couldn’t carry on. Patidar steadied things with a solid 63 off 40 balls, while Venkatesh Iyer gave them a strong finish with an unbeaten 29 from just 15 balls, helping RCB go past 200.
But the Royals came out on top, beating RCB by six wickets. It was their fourth win in a row, while RCB suffered their first defeat of the season.
Chasing 202, Sooryavanshi and Jurel put together a brilliant 108-run partnership that set the tone for the chase. Ravindra Jadeja also chipped in with an unbeaten 24, as RR comfortably reached the target in just 18 overs.
