So, there we go; a battering for the ages. Mandeep and De Villers marshalled Bangalore’s innings with class, composure and enterprise; it really didn’t seem like there was much that Rajasthan could do. And then, chasing, they were never quite able to get going - the pressure of such a large score told, so too the excellence of the bowling, and Chennai will have to play exceptionally well to prevent RCB from contesting the final.
Bangalore annihilate Rajasthan by 71 runs! They play Chennai on Friday, winners to meet Mumbai in Sunday's final!
Kulkarni b Chahal 3 (Rajasthan 109 all out)
19th over: Rajasthan 109-9 (Sharma 7, Kulkarni 3) Target 181 Chahal, who’s been excellent, is rewarded with the pleasure of the penultimate over. The batsmen take a single each, then, after a dot, Kulkarni hoiks to midwicket - looks like four, but Mandeep hurls himself in its pursuit along the fence, saving three.
18th over: Rajasthan 105-9 (Sharma 5, Kulkarni 1) Target 181 Starc must be bearing up, because here he is bowling an entirely unnecessary fourth over. He begins it with four dots, but then an effort ball cedes a leg-side wide, then a single, then a dot. Just the 76 required from a full 12 deliveries.
17th over: Rajasthan 103-9 (Sharma 5, Kulkarni 0) Target 181 This would be anticlimactic, had Bangalore not played so wonderfully well.
WICKET! Hooda c Starc b Wiese 11 (Rajasthan 99-9)
A nelson emergency, but no one’s around to exorcise or attend. Hooda, who’s swiping at everything, as you would, mishits high to the midwicket fence, and Starc holds on easily.
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17th over: Rajasthan 99-8 (Hooda 11, Sharma 1) Target 181 Wiese returns, and Hooda almost picks out AB, sweeping on the off-side when he slices high - but the ball drops short.
16th over: Rajasthan 95-8 (Hooda 8, Sharma 0) Target 181 Who’d have predicted Rajasthan to be so thoroughly shut down?
WICKET! Morris c Chahal b Starc 0 (Rajasthan 95-8)
This a thrashing! Starc swings one in, Morris doesn’t know what to do, and tap-carves into the hands of mid-off.
16th over: Rajasthan 95-7 (Hooda 8, Morris 0) Target 181 Sure enough, here’s Starc, fresh from a stretch and rub during the timeout; missed opportunity for an enterprising massage parlour. Hooda forces his second ball over cover for two, then clips over mid-on for one more.
15th over: Rajasthan 92-7 (Hooda 5, Morris 0) Target 181 This is going to end up a monstrous thrashing. Might be time for Mitch II to toss a few down.
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WICKET! Binny run out 0 (Rajasthan 92-7)
Weird gear right here! Binny plays his first ball, wanders down like there’s a run on when there’s not, turns, and is easily beaten by Chahal’s throw.
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WICKET! Faulkner c & b Aravind 4 (Rajasthan 92-6)
Faulkner goes to pull a yorker from outside off, turns it into a half-vollley and bottom edges into the boot, and as the ball rears up, interrupts his follow-through to leap and lean right. Only he appeals, but that’s out right enough, and dis be over.
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15th over: Rajasthan 92-5 (Hooda 5, Faulkner 4) Target 181 Dot, wide, and that’s Faulkner’s eye in. Aravind strays straight, and is duly carted to square-leg for four. And what’s this! Aravind appeals for a caught and bowled, while everyone else prepares for another ball, because what’s happened is...
14th over: Rajasthan 87-5 (Hooda 5, Faulkner 0) Target 181 This requires something epochal from Rajasthan now.
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WICKET! Rahane c De Villiers b Chahal 42 (Rajasthan 87-5)
Left with little option but to flay, Rahane flays, down on one knee and getting right under a flat one with his toe-end. Up goes the ball, point go AB’s hands, and that’s that.
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13th over: Rajasthan 87-4 (Rahane 42, Hooda 5) Target 181 Rahane’s done his best to anchor this chase, but we’re beyond that now - the rate’s 14.55, and if the Royals are to have anything other than a hail mary shot, things need to happen immediately. But Chahal is bowling with cojones and control, varying his flight and giving no easy boundaries.
12th over: Rajasthan 83-4 (Rahane 39, Hooda 4) Target 181 That wicket’s rousted Patel - he seems to have put on a yard of pace. But Hooda has both power and fibre, thudding through cover towards the fence - but Kohli dives and scrabbles to save two, shoveling back to Wiese who completes the manouevre. Tactics, I love you.
“As a non-Indian,” emails James Lane, “it’s hard to know which team – if any – to support in the IPL. Do I cheer for Delhi because I’m living here? Or Bangalore because it’s a nice city? I feel a completely arbitrary allegiance to Rajasthan, just because they seem to have more Australians than the other teams and I remember Shane Warne driving them to an amazing title in the first year of the competition. But really, they’re all just different colored variations on a theme of Money Money Money. Growing up, cricket was divided upon such simple, national lines, so this brave new world of franchises feels strange.”
I feel you - and yet, from a distance, the civic pride in the teams seems palpable.
WICKET! Nair c Karthik b Patel 12 (Rajasthan 79-4)
The Royals are in trouble now, as many a tabloid editor has said. First ball of the over, nondescript swipe as a bouncier, pacier one cramps Nair, and he nicks off!
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11th over: Rajasthan 79-3 (Rahane 39, Nair 12) Target 181 Nair swipes at Wiese’s first ball, and nicks - it goes quickly, but it’s to Karthik’s right, and he moves across well, only to be defeated by the pace, palming four behind. Wiese maintains equilibrium, though, ceding just four more from the rest of the over; with the power that’s to come, it’s time for a bat to be thrown, I’d posit.
10th over: Rajasthan 71-3 (Rahane 32, Nair 11) Target 181 It’s actually pretty hard to avoid being in with a puncher’s chance in the final couple of overs - even 40 required, is doable occasionally, especially given firepower like Faulkner, Hooda and Binny. and Aravind is doing his best to force them to use it, sending down three consecutive dots to begin with, then after a single, another. So Nair looks for a boundary from the final ball, cutting away to the point fence, only to find AB sweeping, haring around the rope, diving and paddling away to save two. Only three scored.
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10th over: Rajasthan 68-3 (Rahane 31, Nair 9) Target 181 Chahal looks better this over, tossing up above the eyeline, and after Rahane flips a single to fine-leg, the wrongun forces a checked drive out of Nair and the ball dropping just shy of mid-off. Then, following a single to each batter, he edges an essential boundary - the Royals are hanging in there, but only just.
9th over: Rajasthan 61-3 (Rahane 29, Nair 4) Target 181 Looks like Rajasthan are planning to go huge in the final five, rather than satisfy the rate. But Nair isn’t going to hang about, wrapping a half-tracker from outside off over midwicket for four; can he do a Mandeep?
WICKET! Smith c De Villiers b Wiese 12 (Rajasthan 55-3)
Smith skips down and goes at one outside off that cuts away as he swings. He’s looking over cover but slices high - looks droppable, until you see that it’s AB underneath.
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8th over: Rajasthan 55-2 (Rahane 28, Smith 12) Target 181 Time for Chahal’s leg-spin, proper test of nerve for him. Smith is going to target someone, and he doesn’t mind fare of this ilk, especially with a required run rate of beyond ten in just the eighth over. But this is played sensibly, yielding just five - risky tactic, this, not cashing in on nerves and inexperience.
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7th over: Rajasthan 50-2 (Rahane 27, Smith 8) Target 181 Wiese into the attack, and Rajasthan might look to attack here - or be feart of losing more wickets. Looks like the latter, a two and four singles from the first five balls, while Starc fiddles with his back - wish an Ashes summer en route, let’s hope it’s no big deal, nor that he makes it one. Anyway, back in the middle, Rahane glances the final delivery for four, while Starc necks painkillers on the boundary. Yes! Strategy!
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6th over: Rajasthan 40-2 (Rahane 19, Smith 6) Target 181 With RCB’s foot on the throat, they bring their best bowler back to further trample the trachea. He’s actually not moving quite as usual, clutching his back, but hits his straps more consistently than in his first over. But this is Steven Smith he’s bowling too, who, with a boundary needed, sidles away from a fuller one to mash over cover for a severely need four.
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5th over: Rajasthan 34-2 (Rahane 18, Smith 1) Target 181 Smith off the mark right away, and the run rate is now 9.80.
WICKET! Samson c Karthik b Patel 5 (Rajasthan 33-2)
Patel cramps Samson with a well-directed lifter, who weaves away but can’t extract his bat, feathering behind to induce much leaping and shrieking in the field. Thus next pair will need to come off, you’d reckon.
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5th over: Rajasthan 33-1 (Rahane 18, Samson 5) Target 181 Patel continues, bowling a tight line fourth-fifth stump line but inserting an occasional full ball to the diet of back-of-a-length stuff.
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4th over: Rajasthan 30-1 (Rahane 16, Samson 4) Target 181 Aravind drops fractionally short, of which Rahane is having none - he clumps four over midwicket. For the now, one boundary an over isn’t terrible, given a likely four or five from the remainder. And that’s what they get here, setting it up and setting it up.
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3rd over: Rajasthan 21-1 (Rahane 10, Samson 1) Target 181 Hmm, wonder if Smith contemplated sending himself in here, so he’d have time to build. With RCB all wicketed up, Starc takes a blow and Virat introduces Patel’s medium pace , presumably planning to sneak in a cheap over while the batsmen contemplate how best to play things. But when he strays onto the pads, Rahane glances away beautifully for four behind square on the off-side, and seven off the over probably suits both parties.
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WICKET! Watson c Karthik b Aravind 10 (Rajasthan 14-1)
Final ball of the over and Watson can’t help himself - can’t afford to help himself - going hard, cross-batted at a wide one. He bottom-edges behind, and Virat does Thundercat eyes.
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2nd over: Rajasthan 11-0 (Rahane 4, Watson 10) Target 181 Here’s the returning Aravind, and he’s right into it with two dots. Bangalore have decided that back of a length is where they need to bowl, bringing the batsmen forward, and they’re fidgeting after mustering just three singles from the first five balls. And then!
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1st over: Rajasthan 11-0 (Rahane 2, Watson 9) Target 181 Starc begins, and immediately extracts significant bounce, more than managed by anyone previously. But Rahane flashes a single to third man, and then Watson gorges on width, muscle-driving off the back foot for four to point. And there’re four more! Starc’s short, Watson’s forward then back, and the ball’s spinning to the fine-leg fence! Already, this is a great start, can the Royals force it home? They can’t, but 11 to begin, and off the danger-man too, will put them right on a buzz.
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The players are middled! Hold onto your hat/hair/syrup!
And then you think Rahane, Watson Hooda, Faulkner, Smith, and think you’ve been talking shtuss, and that anything is possible.
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Er, AB de Villiers is good at batting. That was a perfectly paced innings under intense pressure, but possible only thanks to Mandeep, who maintained momentum while he settled. Hard to see Rajasthan pulling this off, but if they can see Starc away, they’ve got some pretty nifty chaps in their line-up.
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Bangalore set Rajasthan 181 to win!
20th over: Bangalore 180-4 (Mandeep 54, Sarfaraz 1) Eleven form the final over - good effort from Morris, that. But still, that is exceptionally daunting.
WICKET! Karthik c Rahane b Morris 8 (Bangalore 177-4)
Karthik goes again, trying to pull from outside off but slicing high instead, and that’s a simple catch.
20th over: Bangalore 177-3 (Mandeep 53, Karthik 8) Morris with the joy of the last over, and he gives Karthik width first ball - it’s the batter’s first ball, too - but it makes no difference at all. He smites over cover for six, then adds two more.
19th over: Bangalore 175-3 (Mandeep 53, Karthik 0) What an innings this is from Mandeep! First, he carts Faulkner over midwicket for six, then runs him down to third man for four! Even ten more make this deeply problematic for Rajasthan.
AB de Villiers run out 66 (Bangalore 159-3)
Mandeep bangs to long-off, turns for two, but AB is slow to get going and run out by a couple of yards.
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19th over: Bangalore 159-2 (De Villiers 66, Mandeep 43) Single to Mandeep from the first ball gives AB five to impose, and Mandeep’s pace allows him two to long-on. But Faulkner responds well, yorker outside off, and a single brings Mandeep back. He goes down the ground, tries for two, but AB isn’t quick enough!
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18th over: Bangalore 154-2 (De Villiers 63, Mandeep 41) Morris back, and Mandeep misses with a slog first ball, then deflects to deep point, sprinting two like billy-o. Single to wide long-on gives AB the strike, and then a bouncy one on leg-stump is so ill-directed that a top edge is enough to send it 71 metres over fine-leg for six; that’s his fifty. But oh my days! The very state of what comes next! AB stands, waits for a full one, and humiliates six over cover! He is not of this world! Two from the last ball makes 17 from the over, and this is getting away from Rajasthan now. What a man!
17th over: Bangalore 137-2 (De Villiers 49, Mandeep 38) Watson to finish his spell, and he gives AB a modicum of width outside off, which is all that’s necessary; the ball’s hurtling to long-off, quicksmart; of course it is!. Next a dot, and then Watson extracts a little more bounce, cramping his man too - so he leaps, throws a cut, and edges past the keeper for four. A wide follows, and What, Ho and Stevensmith suddenly look pensive - does anyone use the word “pensive” to describe anything other than an awkwardly positioned sportsman? Anyway, another carve on the off-side drops short of the man at point - lot of heads in hands this last bit - and thirteen off the over means that both sides are still handily placed. If the batters can just find two monsters, they’re set; if the bowlers can just keep things as they are, the total is eminently chaseable.
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16th over: Bangalore 124-2 (De Villiers 38, Mandeep 37) Faulkner in, and I’d expect AB to go for him. But he manages just two from the first ball, followed by a single. Mandeep, though, is right onto the third delivery, shuffling down and smiting four through long-off on the half-volley. Then, after a dot, Faulkner tries a short one - foolish behaviours, and Mandeep carves four over backward point. Still, eleven from the over isn’t terrible for Rajasthan and just par for Bangalore.
15th over: Bangalore 113-2 (De Villiers 35, Mandeep 29) It’s time, as Bruce Buffer would say - AB crunches Sharma’s first delivery over midwicket for six. Oh, and after two singles, there’s another, ball angled into the pads and crunched to the same spot. So Sharma goes a little wider of off, but De Villiers is wise to that, pounding four through extra cover with alarming, startling power. Let’s talk strategy!
14th over: Bangalore 94-2 (De Villiers 17, Mandeep 28) Watson back, and it’s getting to score assessment and acceleration time. My guess would be they’re looking for 160 minimum - and I reckon Rajasthan would take that, too. They’l like this over, too, just six from it.
Incidentally, there’s a sponsor behind the bowler’s arm that makes it impossible not to constantly think of this.
13th over: Bangalore 88-2 (De Villiers 16, Mandeep 26) Sharma back, and Mandeep is absolutely zoned! On strike after a single to AB, he gets onto one knee to sweep from outside off through the on at 45; brilliant shot. But the rest of the over yields just two, De Villiers seeking to slam its final delivery down the ground but Sharma dives to grab - ouch, that looked a sair yin. The umpires quickly check for a catch, but the ball bounced in front of him.
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12th over: Bangalore 82-2 (De Villiers 15, Mandeep 21) Faulkner back, and Mandeep carves his loosener over point for a one-bounce four; this is seriously useful knock already, keeping things moving while AB readies himself for death violence. But, in the meantime, the GOAT hangs in there - already, Bangalore’s fifty was their slowest of the competition, and he cedes only singles balls two to five. Mandeep, though, is having no such thing, hoiking from outside off for four to midwicket.
11th over: Bangalore 70-2 (De Villiers 13, Mandeep 12) De Villiers is starting to move, taking Watson’s first two deliveries for twos - but the second is lifted over mid-off, dicey as riley. The next shot, though, is vintage. The ball shapes away, and AB waits for it, glancing away for four to third man with Ivory Snow hands.
“How does the RR team (or its opponents) tell Rahane from Kulkarni?” tweets Ravi Nair. And strictly speaking, are their names a rhyme or a half-rhyme?
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10th over: Bangalore 60-2 (De Villiers 4, Mandeep 11) Kulkarni to bowl out, and they try taking him for singles - they do, but the lithest grab and throw from Smith almost runs out AB at the striker’s. Then, another single and dot, before Mandeep forces four from outside off through midwicket, and six over long-on, neither stylish, both essential.
9th over: Bangalore 48-2 (De Villiers 2, Mandeep 0) Binny into the attack to hustle through some nondescript trundlers while Bangalore rebuild. A low-scoring game suits Rajasthan, chasing and with the players that they have, whereas a good day for AB and we might see an unchaseable target. The track suggests the former for now - a bit of natural variation’s making it hard to go hard - and I might’ve been unfair to Binny, who produces a menacing over that cedes just a single.
8th over: Bangalore 46-2 (De Villiers 1, Mandeep 0) Of course, the greatest eliminator of all-time was when Romeo from So Solid competed in Celebrity Gladiators, nailed the race at the end, and fell off the travelator three times so that the other bloke - I forget whom - caught up and beat him. For reasons known to no one, YouTube is silent on the subject. Two runs and a wicket from the over - bully for Steven Smith.
WICKET! Kohli c & b Kulkarni 12 (Bangalore 46-2)
Interesting! Interestinger! Kohli flicks through midwicket for two, tries again next ball realises that he can’t, and can’t help but bunt a dolly of a cee ampersand bee to the bowler.
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7th over: Bangalore 44-1 (Kohli 10, De Villiers 1) Sharma’s spin into the attack now the powerplays done, and a single follows three dots, bringing AB onto strike; he takes a leg-stump guard, and adds just a single, before Kohli does likewise. Great over for Rajasthan.
6th over: Bangalore 41-1 (Kohli 8, De Villiers 0) Key passage coming up.
WICKET! Gayle b Kulkarni 27 (Bangalore 41-1)
He advances - he drops short; he swings, he misses - he hits, and there goes middle stump. Time for a commercial hiatus to build anticipation for De Villiers.
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6th over: Bangalore 41-0 (Gayle 27, Kohli 8) Another bowling change, Kulkarni back, and Gayle gets lucky forcing another from outside off to long-on - he doesn’t get all of it, which is the reason it doesn’t carry to the man on the fence.
5th over: Bangalore 38-0 (Gayle 26, Kohli 6) Morris back - interesting that Smith’s preferred to give the batsmen something different to think about every over than let his chaps settle into rhythm. After a single to Kohli, Morris bangs one in back of a length, but it’s waist not shoulder high, so Gayle collars it from outside off and punishes to long-on - the ball appears to be bent out of shape, as well you might. So, there’s a brief break, followed by a wide, as the commentators explain how distant the boundaries are here; counter-intuitively, that helps RCB, whose batters have the power to clear them anyway. Anyway, Morris slings down an inswinging yorker, which first appears to have Gayle hopping, only for him to jam down the bat and deflect between his legs for four. It’s also possible it was inadvertent, but the more it’s replayed, the more astoundingly brilliant it looks .
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4th over: Bangalore 28-0 (Gayle 18, Kohli 5) What, Ho into the attack - I wonder if they planned to use him now, or hoped to reserve his wicket-to-wicketers for later. He gets lucky with a wide one - though Kohli might have let it go, ge felt he couldn’t miss out, stretching to cut only to pick out the man and run one. Next ball’s leg-side, though, so RCB get their extra, but still only four from the over.
“Sheesh, quick deck in this IPL game. Mitchell Starc might get it through,” tweets Scott Oliver. Yesterday, had no idea who’d win - generally, it’s hard to predict given the distribution of talent and nature of the game - but hard to see how Rajasthan can pull this off, but for the presence of Steven Smith.
3rd over: Bangalore 24-0 (Gayle 17, Kohli 3) Kulkarni replaces Morris, and Gayle makes room to slash his first ball to the fence at extra-cover. Then, after a dot, he shuffles across to flay down the ground, but misses with an almighty heave, compensating with a manufactured six forced over long-on - he moves towards leg and drags it form outside off. Four byes then complete the over - there’s some bounce here - and this is now a good start.
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2nd over: Bangalore 10-0 (Gayle 7, Kohli 3) It’s a risk is this, this is, is this - Faulkner to Gayle, with only two men outside the circle. He starts well, though, ceding just two singles from his first four deliveries. Perhaps Bangalore had a look at how Mumbai did it last evening - keeping wickets in hand after sensible early hitting, so that everyone could go at the death. What a mess here, but, Gayle turning to fine-leg, setting off, not setting off, setting off, and then, when the throw arrived at the keeper’s, Faulkner wasn’t behind the stumps at the non-striker’s to take care of business when the throw didn’t hit directly.
1st over: Bangalore 5-0 (Gayle 5, Kohli 0) Morris in, and finds some swing first up, but his second delivery is right into Gayle’s slot outside off, and here comes a candle to light you to bed, here comes a chopper to chop off your head, chip, chop, cho, chop - and the ball speeds through cover to the fence. But Morris responds with three dots, before the final ball is cut away for a single. Acceptable start for all.
Of we go!
It’s not at all easy to see how Rajasthan’s bowlers are going to handle this. I believe that’s what’s known as a hot-take.
Team news: for Bangalore, Aravind replaces Dinda; for Rajasthan, Sharma replaces Sran.
Virat wins the toss and Bangalore will bat.
“I would of” says Steven Smith when asked if he’d have done the same. In this week of post-Stannis Baratheon and Don Draper grammar correction, I’m afraid that’s got to be noted.
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State of these squads!
Bangalore: V Kohli*, VR Aaron, SA Abbott, AN Ahmed, S Aravind, S Badrinath, SA Bhavane, MS Bisla, YS Chahal, AB de Villiers, AB Dinda, CH Gayle, Iqbal Abdulla, KD Karthik†, SN Khan, NJ Maddinson, Mandeep Singh, HV Patel, RR Rossouw, DJG Sammy, S Sandeep Warrier, Jalaj S Saxena, MA Starc, YV Takawale, D Wiese, VH Zol.
Rajasthan: SR Watson*, Ankit Sharma, B Brainder Sran, R Bhatia, STR Binny, BCJ Cutting, JP Faulkner, DJ Hooda, DS Kulkarni, VS Malik, CH Morris, KK Nair, AM Nayar, AM Rahane, P Sahu, D Salunkhe, SV Samson†, SPD Smith, TG Southee, PV Tambe, R Tewatia, J Theron, SV Trivedi, DH Yagnik†.
Preamble
Life being life, it’s not unusual to experience competing sensations simultaneously; fear and intoxication, joy and realism, connection and alienation. And that’s probably where Rajasthan and Bangalore find themselves now: grateful to be playing in this game, aggravated that it’s necessary. But here they are and here we are, for what is already fascinating and may well become spectacular.
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