One of the giants of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) ceased to one of their heaviest defeats, as they were battered by Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), in Match 6 of the ongoing edition, in Dubai, on Thursday. Beaten by 97 runs, the match was highlighted by KXIP skipper KL Rahul's impeccable innings of an unbeaten 132.
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In what seemed to be an interesting contest initially, Rahul outplayed the RCB bowlers, as he scored his 132 in just 69 deliveries, while KXIP posted a mammoth total of 2063. In reply, barely any of the RCB batsmen fired, or kept going, as the KXIP bowlers completely turned things around, making it a dull one-sided contest.
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RCB, who were coming off their opening win against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), were the definite favourites to win this tie. Meanwhile, let us analyse some talking points from this tie.
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Rahul unfazed by captaincy pressure: While things did look tough for KXIP and skipper Rahul in their first game, it was completely overturned in the very next game. Rahul, who played a sublime knock, proved that whether captain or not, he can play his game whenever he wants, while the leadership role is just an obligation. However, it would be interesting to see how consistent he is.
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KXIP spinners rise to the occasion: While it was Rahul with the bat, the spinners did the job with the ball. What was expected to be a batting thriller from both side, the KXIP spinners just squashed the dreams of RCB batsmen. Murugan Ashwin and Ravi Bishnoi just tore apart with a three-wicket haul each, as only three RCB batsmen could get to their 20s. This has proved that the spinners would play a heavy role in this edition.
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Lack of intent from RCB: Although RCB wanted to go big initially, it cost them their opening three wickets within just the first three overs. Nonetheless, what was even intriguing to see that there was a lack of intent from the batsmen, not about chasing the total down, but to play in a composed manner so that their net-run-rate is not affected. Had that been the case, RCB would have lost it by a lesser margin.
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No logic behind sending Josh Philippe at number three: RCB's latest recruit, wicketkeeper-batsman Josh Philippe, was not so impressive in their opening game against SRH, where he had faced just a couple of deliveries and was even shaky behind the stumps. Meanwhile, the decision to send him at number three, ahead of Kohli and AB de Villiers, was baffling to most of the fans, as he was clearly not comfortable in either department against SRH. Maybe, as Kohli looked to show his faith in the Australian, it certainly must have been crushed by now.
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Poor choice of bowling during KXIP innings: Prior to RCB's batting, even their choice of bowling was perplexing. While Washington Sundar was not prioritised as one of their prime bowlers, Shivam Dube was taken off too early. Also, their star from the last game, spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, was allowed to finish his overs quick enough. Their best death bowler, Navdeep Saini, was only allowed to bowl an over in the final five, as KXIP pounded them for 80 runs in that phase. What's happening, Kohli?
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