NEW DELHI: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) showcased exceptional bowling and fielding prowess as they secured a commanding 47-run victory over Delhi Capitals, keeping their IPL playoff aspirations alive on Sunday.
Despite posting a modest total of 187 for 9, buoyed by a fiery half-century from the in-form Rajat Patidar, RCB's bowling attack dismantled the lackluster DC lineup, dismissing them for just 140 runs in 19.1 overs.
Patidar's brisk 52 off 32 deliveries, coupled with Will Jacks' composed 41 off 28 balls, laid a solid foundation with an 88-run partnership for the third wicket in less than nine overs.
However, Yash Dayal (3/20) and Cameron Green (1/19) displayed remarkable precision with their lengths, stifling the Delhi batters. With the exception of Axar Patel's valiant 57 off 39 balls, none of the Delhi batsmen managed to leave a significant impact on the game.
Axar, the stand-in captain for DC against RCB, accepted the fact that the dropped catches were one of the main reasons for the defeat.
"Dropped catches hurt us. Could've restricted them to 150. When you lose four wickets in powerplay, you're always chasing the game. 160-170 would've been a par score. Pitch was two-paced," Axar said after the match.
There were two run-outs -- first a freak one off team's most impactful batter Jake Fraser-McGurk and the other off Tristan Stubbs which cost DC dearly.
"Some were skidding, some were holding. When your main players run out and you lose four in powerplay, you're chasing the game. Anything can happen, but haven't thought that far ahead," Axar added.
Delhi Capitals, who are sixth in the points table with 6 wins and 7 losses in 13 matches, will face Lucknow Super Giants at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Tuesday.
While RCB are also on 12 points, a superior NRR of +0.387 compared to DC's dismal -0.482 still keep them in the hunt if they happen to win their last game and also have a few results going their way.
