Delhi added 56 runs in the last four overs of the innings and more than good batting, it was very poor bowling by the Royal Challengers Bangalore. It would be fair to say that RCB lost the match in the last three overs of Delhi's innings.
Delhi Capitals (DC) registered a brilliant win over Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and sealed their place in the playoffs of the Indian Premier League 2019. It is a huge moment for the franchise and its fans. Since 2012, Delhi has never finished above the 6th spot, and they have finished thrice at the bottom of the table.
***
Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to bat first on a good batting wicket at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium. Delhi lost their young opener, Prithvi Shaw, early but Shikhar Dhawan and Shreyas Iyer batted aggressively and added 68 runs for the second wicket and gave a solid start to Delhi. Dhawan scored 50 runs off 37 balls while Iyer contributed 52 runs off 37 balls.
However, after Dhawan and Iyer went back to the pavilion, Delhi Capitals failed to score quickly for a couple of overs, Sherfane Rutherford and Axar Patel scored some quick runs in the last four overs and took Delhi's total to 187. Rutherford smashed three sixes and a four in his unbeaten 13-ball 28, while Patel struck three fours in his unbeaten 9-ball 16.
Delhi added 56 runs in the last four overs of the innings and more than good batting, it was very poor bowling by the Royal Challengers Bangalore. It would be fair to say that RCB lost the match in the last three overs of Delhi's innings.
Let's see what mistakes RCB did that cost them the match.
In IPL 2019, RCB bowlers have let their team down, more often than not, and their performance against Delhi was another such example. Marcus Stoinis, Umesh Yadav and Navdeep Saini bowled without a plan in the last three overs and leaked runs all around the park.
In the 18th over, Stoinis bowled short on both sides of the wicket at a mediocre pace and made it easy for Rutherford and Patel.
In the 19th over, Umesh Yadav conceded three boundaries. He bowled short outside off with fine leg up, he bowled a length ball which was right in the middle of the 'hit me for a six' zone, and the third boundary was smashed off a slower-short delivery outside the off the stump. RCB fans expect much better from Umesh Yadav because he has played a lot of cricket, not just in the IPL but also for India at the international level.
The 20th over was the worst of the match for RCB, and it gave Delhi the momentum they were looking for at the end of their innings. With third man up, Navdeep Saini bowled wild full-toss deliveries outside the off stump and gave easy boundaries.
It was a total mess for RCB in the last three overs of the innings. There was no coordination between the line of attack and field placement. Virat Kohli, who is always proactive in the middle, was also looking clueless, and the lack of communication between the captain and his bowlers allowed the match to drift away towards Delhi.
There are three' 'don't bowl in death overs length'- full toss (on both sides of the wicket), short (both sides of the wicket) and over-pitched, and RCB bowlers kept bowling these three lines and lengths.
Read Exclusive COVID-19 Coronavirus News updates, at MyNation.