Jaipur: An explosive opening stand of 92 in 8.4 overs between Phil Salt and Virat Kohli paved the way for Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) fourth victory, as they defeated
Rajasthan Royals by nine wickets with 15 balls to spare at Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Sunday.
Salt demonstrated his aggressive batting prowess early in the chase of 174, dominating the Powerplay with numerous boundaries that immediately challenged and deflated Royals�?bowlers. His impressive 65 off 33 balls included five fours and six sixes, particularly targeting Jofra Archer and Tushar Deshpande.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. Kohli played a controlled innings, scoring an unbeaten 62 off 45 balls with four fours and two sixes. His technical excellence complemented Salt’s aggressive approach, maintaining consistent scoring without unnecessary risks.
The opening pair effectively handled Archer’s pace by reading the lengths early and utilising any available width. They accumulated 65 runs in the Powerplay, establishing RCB’s dominance. Salt’s innings ended in the ninth over, caught at deep midwicket off Kumar Kartikeya.
Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal (40 not out off 28 balls) continued the chase, forming an unbroken 83-run partnership.
Earlier, batting first, Yashasvi Jaiswal scored a brilliant 75 off 47 balls. Despite facing challenges with timing, the 23-year-old kept his cool in the initial phase.
RCB’s precise bowling, led by Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood, restricted the Royals�?scoring rate. The Powerplay produced only 45/0. Captain Sanju Samson (15 off 19 balls) succumbed to the pressure, falling stumped to Krunal Pandya.
Jaiswal and Riyan Parag constructed a 56-run partnership before Yash Dayal dismissed Parag in the 14th over. Two overs later, Jaiswal’s innings concluded when Hazlewood trapped him lbw. Dhruv Jurel’s quick 35 off 23 balls helped Royals reach 173/4.
Brief scores:Rajasthan Royals: 173 for 4 in 20 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 75, Riyan Parag 30, Dhruv Jurel 35 not out)
lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 175 for 1 in 17.3 overs (Phil Salt 65, Virat Kohli 62 not out, Devdutt Padikkal 40 not out)
by nine wickets.
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