Royal Challengers Bengaluru register their first win of IPL 2024 as they defeat Punjab Kings by four wickets in their second match of the campaign. RCB won the toss and opted to field first as M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru is suited to chasing teams. RCB bowlers did well as they didn’t allow Punjab Kings batters to get away with the game and restricted them to a score 176/6. Chasing it, Virat Kohli starred with a knock of 77 runs followed by a strong finish from Dinesh Karthik which helped them cruise to the target and bag a four-wicket win. Virat Kohli Breaks Out in Laughter After Seeing Shikhar Dhawan’s Lookalike During RCB vs PBKS IPL 2024 Match (Watch Video).
PBKS didn’t have a good start to their innings as Jonny Bairstow lost his wicket to Mohammed Siraj. Shikhar Dhawan started a phase of consolidation along with Prabhsimran Singh and the duo stiched a partnership. But as they wanted to generate some momentum, Prabhsimran got dismissed and PBKS kept losing wickets at regular interval. RCB created pressure through Yash Dayal, Mohammed Siraj and Glenn Maxwell which kept PBKS quiet in the middle overs. Although some later fireworks from Shashank Singh meant they reached a competitive total of 176/6.
Chasing it, Virat Kohli got off the blocks quickly but lost his partner Faf du Plessis in no time. Cameron Green, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell all tried to stay with him and build a partnership but Kagiso Rabada and Harpreet Brar kept chipping in wickets and pulling the game back in the favour of PBKS. Kohli kept the charge on at one end and cruised to his half-century but was running out of partners. When he got out, RCB were in a tricky phase and it got further difficult when Anuj Rawat was dismissed as well. Although Dinesh Karthik and Mahipal Lomror combined on the crease and the duo plundered Arshdeep Singh and Harshal Patel to get over the finishing line.
RCB vs PBKS IPL 2024 Stat Highlights
# Virat Kohli becomes the holder of the record of most catches taken by an Indian in T20s (173*)
# RCB now has the most wins against a single opposition at M Chinnaswamy Stadium ( 7 vs PBKS)
# Anuj Rawat became the first wicketkeeper to bag four dismissals in an innings for RCB
# Shikhar Dhawan was dismissed by Glenn Maxwell for the fifth time in T20s
# Faf du Plessis’ last single digit score in IPL before this game was on May 25, 2022
# Highest boundaries hit by Virat Kohli in a powerplay (8)
# Glenn Maxwell got dismissed against Harpreet Brar for the fourth time
# Virat Kohli now has 58 50+ scores in the IPL
# The half-century in this game was Virat Kohli’s 100th half-century in T20s
# Dinesh Karthik now has the second most runs in death overs (17-20) in the IPL since 2022 (372)
# Harpreet Brar now has the second most economical 4-over spells by a spinner at M Chinnaswamy Stadium (2/13). Virat Kohli Wins Man of the Match Award in RCB vs PBKS IPL 2024 Match.
A very competitive game between two very well-rounded side saw Royal Challengers Bengaluru comes out on top. Although it is a positive for RCB, their batting has shown signs of being fragile yet again, an area they would want to emphasize on. Meanwhile, for PBKS they have to think about their death over bowling and get more out of their overseas stars.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 26, 2024 12:34 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).