The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have virtually become the first team to be knocked out of the ongoing Indian Premier League. On the flip side, the Delhi Capitals (DC) qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2012 and are the second team to do so this season. 

RCB couldn’t chase down 188 and fell short of the target by 16 runs at the Feroz Shah Kotla as DC held on to the crunch moments in the game.

Let's look at the factors which helped the Capitals reach the top of the points table: 

1. Axar-Rutherford slammed 36 in last two overs 

Batting first, Delhi Capitals were off to a perfect start with both Shaw and Dhawan hammering the ball all around the stadium. Once Shaw departed, Iyer and Dhawan didn’t let the momentum shift towards Bangalore. 

However, once the moustache rolling southpaw, Shikhar Dhawan departed, the wickets kept tumbling for the hosts, and the total was down to 151 runs for the loss of five wickets in 18 overs. At one stage, it looked like Virat Kohli and co. would restrict Shreyas Iyer’s men between 160-170 runs. 

However, Axar and Rutherford struck two fours and a six off Umesh Yadav’s bowling the 19th over. The fast bowler conceded 16 runs in the penultimate over. Thereafter, Rutherford struck two fours and a six off Navdeep Saini’s over in the last over. Axar chipped in with a boundary as Delhi Capitals scored 20 runs off the 20th over. The Bangalore side could have restricted Delhi Capitals to a score below 170, but they ended up conceding 187 runs in 20 overs.

2. Bangalore failed to capitalise on the start

Chasing 187 on Kotla track was never easy, but Parthiv Patel along with Virat Kohli was able to lay a good foundation and eventually registered a 50 plus run stand. Though Royal Challengers Bangalore lost Patel on the second last ball of the powerplay, the score had reached 63 runs. 

With Virat Kohli still at the crease and the likes of AB de Villiers, Heinrich Klaasen still to come, Bangalore was fancying its chances to register a fourth win on the trot. However, the team failed to capitalise on the start and lost as many as six wickets in the middle overs. Post this, Bangalore never really recovered as Capitals registered their eighth win in the tournament.