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ab-de-villiers
In a thrilling match, RCB emerged victorious against MI in the first match of IPL 2021. After MI was put to bat first, the Men in Blue somehow managed to put 159 on the board. In reply, RCB successfully chased the total with 2 wickets to spare. That said, here is a list of 3 reasons why Kohli and co-managed to get the better of Rohit Sharma’s side in the season opener:
3. RCB’s brilliant bowling
MI captain Rohit Sharma was dismissed in the 4th over after being run out. Prior to that, Suryakumar Yadav and Chris Lynn put up a decent partnership for the 1st wicket. Soon after, Kylie Jamieson got the better of Yadav in the 11th over, while Washington Sundar dismissed Lynn in the 13th over. However, Harshal Patel was the most threatening bowler in the RCB bowling lineup. In 4 overs, Patel scalped 5 wickets, conceding only 27 runs in total. MI ended their innings with a score of 159/9. This is the 1st time in IPL history that a bowler managed a 5 wicket haul against MI.
2. Rahul Chahar’s dismal spell with the ball
MI spinner Rahul Chahar started the match against RCB in preference of Piyush Chawla. Everyone expected Chawla to start, with the amount of experience he has playing in the IPL. However, after a poor outing with the ball, we might see Piyush Chawla in place of Chahar. Chahar was smashed out of the park by the likes of Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers. His expensive over of 15 runs completely tilted the match in RCB’s favor.
1. A stunning performance by AB de Villiers
AB de Villiers has single-handedly guided RCB to several victories in his IPL career. The opening match of IPL 2021 is just another example. In 27 balls, de Villiers smashed 48 runs with a phenomenal strike rate of 177.78. His match-winning knock comprised a total of 4 boundaries and 2 sixes. In a match deciding over, de Villiers secured 15 runs off Rahul Chahar’s over. This over completely changed the entire complexion of the game. Prior to his dismissal, RCB only needed 2 runs in 2 balls. Harshal Patel and Mohammed Siraj sealed the deal for RCB as they won the match by 2 wickets. Where would have RCB been if there wasn’t de Villiers on their side?