IPL 2022: Runs come Karthik & fast

PTI

Mumbai, April 5

Dinesh Karthik and Shahbaz Ahmed helped Royal Challengers Bangalore recover from a batting collapse and record a four-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League here today.

Jos Buttler hammered half a dozen sixes in his unbeaten 70 off 47 balls as Rajasthan Royals grafted their way to 169/3 after RCB opted to bowl.

We needed 12 runs an over, so you need to figure out what to do. Stay calm, know your game and who you can take on. You have to premeditate in T20, but if it’s not there, you have to have the ability to change the shot. The real work is done in the lead-up, which is what I'll give credit to Dinesh Karthik, player of the match

Losing four wickets in the space off 11 balls, RCB were in all sorts of trouble at 62/4 before Karthik (44 not out off 23 balls) and Ahmed (45 off 26) took the game away from the opposition with a 67-run partnership off just 33 balls. Karthik eventually got the team home in 19.1 overs.

It was RCB’s second win in three games while it was the first loss of the season for the Royals after consecutive victories.

At 55/0 in the seventh over, RCB were on course in the run chase before the game turned on its head with the Royals taking a flurry of wickets.

The wily Yuzvendra Chahal (2/15), playing against a team he played for seven seasons, was largely responsible for the RCB collapse. He forced an error from Faf du Plessis (29), who mistimed a leg-break to be caught at long-on, before cleaning up left-hander David Willey (0) with a classical leg-break.

Chahal also ran out Virat Kohli (5) after a brilliant throw from Royals skipper Sanju Samson. Trent Boult got rid of Sherfane Rutherford to make it 87/5.

That was when Karthik, who has shown stellar form this season, came into the middle and brought back RCB into the contest with some sensational strokes.

Earlier, Buttler, fresh off a hundred in the previous game, had to work hard in his 47-ball knock on a slow Wankhede pitch. He had the support of Shimron Hetmyer (42 not out off 31) at the other end as the duo shared an unbeaten 83-run stand off 51 balls.

Brief scores: Rajasthan Royals: 169/3 (Buttler 70*, Hetmyer 42*; Patel 1/18, Willey 1/29); Royal Challengers Bangalore: 173/6 in 19.1 overs (Ahmed 45, Karthik 44*; Chahal 2/15, Boult 2/34) —

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