Last Time RCB Won Their 1st IPL Match, They Reached Finals; Reasons Why Team Kohli Could Win Maiden IPL Title

RCB on Monday evening finally broke its three-year jinx since it last won the opening match in 2016. Team Virat put up a fantastic show for cricket buffs with a 10-run win against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their first match of IPL 2020.

Photo Courtesy: Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets/ Twitter)

Virat Kohli led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) put up a fantastic show for cricket buffs with a 10-run win against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their first match of the fresh season of the Indian Premier League at the Dubai International Stadium in UAE on Monday evening. RCB got their IPL 13 campaign off to a winning start over Sunrisers Hyderabad on the back of quick-fire half tons by debutant Devdutt Padikkal (56) and AB De Villiers (51) and stellar bowling performances by leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and tearaway seamer Navdeep Saini. With this win in an opening match, RCB finally broke its three-year jinx since it last won the opening match in 2016. Team Virat in 9th edition of IPL in 2016 had showed their best performance and had won seven out off eight matches. It is pertinent to mention the irony here that winners from last evening had won their first match then in 2016 with a 35-run win over the Sunrisers Hyderabad, faced SRH again in the finals but lost the chance to take home the IPL trophy for the third time. Prior to 2016, RCB had missed missed the trophy first in 2009 and then in 2011 despite putting up a stellar show throughout the series. Though Team Virat has had some rough patches their way all these years, the new weapons in the arsenal and doubled energies among the players could once again lead the team to the finals and this may even sweep away the trophy. You ask why? Young cricketer Devdutt Padikkal who made his IPL debut this year showed perfect balance in the crease in his opening match. He played all around the ground, playing the pull and aerial cover drive with confidence. While, during the batting innings, Devdutt Padikkal scored 56 runs for RCB in his first match for the franchise. Meanwhile, the team has got AB De Villiers who scored his 34th half century and struck his 200th six in the IPL to become only the second RCB batsman after Chris Gayle to achieve the milestone. Leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal returned with bowling figures of 18-3 which is the best by any Royal Challengers Bangalore bowler against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL history. The ace leg spinner also went past Indian seamer Zaheer Khan (102) wicket's tally on the all time wicket taking list in the IPL.