CSK bowlers bowled remarkably well to restrict Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to 169/4 at Dubai international stadium on Saturday. Chennai bowlers were so good tonight that RCB could manage only 95 runs after the end of 15 overs and succeeded in sending half of the RCB batters back to the pavilion.
Padikkal and Finch started the proceeding for RCB after they won the toss and opted to bat first. Padikkal scored the first boundary of the game in the final ball of the second over as RCB started really slow. CSK's Deepak Chahar got his team off to a good start, as RCB manage just two runs off his opening over.
The in-swinging ball from Chahar ended Finch's stay at the crease. Chahar clean bowled him as he uprooted his middle stump to give CSK the early breakthrough. At the end of powerplay (first six overs), RCB managed to reach 36 for loss of one wicket with Padikkal and Kohli staring to get a move on.
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After losing Finch early, Kohli-Padikkal pair batted well to keep the scoreboard ticking. Both continued to hit boundaries and were looking in great touch. After first eight overs, Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal brought up 50 for RCB.
Both Kohli and Padikkal kept on scoring runs but still Chennai Super Kings had the game in control, not letting the duo to accelerate as much as they wanted to. The pressure got the best of Padikkal, who holed out to Faf du Plessis at mid-off. The RCB opener didn't looked fluent with the bat tonight as the fans have seen him this season.
Shardul Thakur picked his second wicket and gave a big blow to RCB by getting AB de Villiers caught behind for a duck, courtesy a brilliant cross-seam delivery. With this, CSK were in complete control of the game and Kohli under immense pressure. Washington Sundar was the new man in.
CSK now starting putting the squeeze as after breaking the Padikkal-Kohli stand skipper MS Dhoni introduced veteran spinner Ravindra Jadeja who bowled his over quickly and conceded just 2 runs in his first over. Sam Curran bagged wicket of Washington Sundar (10 runs off 10 balls) as he edged the ball behind to MS Dhoni.
With last five overs remaining, RCB could not even bring 100 up and lost their top five batsmen. Skipper Kohli remained the key for fir his team to bat through the remaining overs and help them reach a respectable total. 10o finally came up for RCB in the 16th over.
RCB were scoring just 6 runs per over and needed to go big to get at least a respectable total of 160 on a batters-friendly pitch. Soon Kohli scored his half-century off just 39 balls, his second of this season and 38th in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Kohli hit his first six of the evening in the 18th over and with Dube scoring some quick runs from the other end, RCB looked in control. Virat Kohli and Shivam Dube smashes three sixes to Sam Curran over.to get 24 runs from the 18th over. Dwayne Bravo bowled the last over and conceded 14 runs from it as RCB reached 169/4 in their allotted 20 overs.