Hetmyer, Pant fail to take Delhi past RCB
Shimron Hetmyer could not do an AB de Villiers. The powerful West Indian lashed 53 from 25 balls to bring the Delhi Capitals to the doorstep of victory. But captain Rishabh Pant got most of the strike in the final over as they finished at 170/4, handing the Royal Challengers Bangalore a thrilling one-run win in the Indian Premier League 2021 game in Ahmedabad tonight.
Needing 77 to win, Hetmeyer joined Pant at 97/4 in the 13th over, and the two kept Delhi’s hopes alive. Three sixes off Kyle Jamieson in the 18th over made for an exciting finish. RCB’s Mohammed Siraj defended 14 runs in the last over as Pant struggled to clear the ropes, and Hetmyer was at the wrong end.
Earlier, put into bat, RCB were saved by another rescue act from De Villiers. He conjured up an unbeaten 75 (42 balls) to guide RCB to 171/5 after they were 60/3. He first repaired the innings with a 54-run stand with Rajat Patidar (31 from 22) before launching into three sixes against Marcus Stoinis in the final over. That 23 runs from the over shifted the balance in RCB’s favour.
AB de Villiers to the rescue of RCB
The rescue acts of AB de Villiers are not new for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. He conjured up an unbeaten 75 (42 balls) to guide RCB to 171/5 against the Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League 2021 game in Ahmedabad tonight.
Put to bat by Delhi captain Rishabh Pant, RCB’s good start turned in a mini-crisis when Glenn Maxwell (25 off 20) departed, leaving them at 60/3. But that was when RCB Superman De Villiers turned up.
He first repaired the innings with a 54-run stand with Rajat Patidar (31 from 22) before launching into three sixes against Marcus Stoinis in the final over. That 23 runs from the over would have shifted the balance in RCB’s favour.
Delhi have the batting to chase a target of 172, but early wickets could undermine it. And RCB have a better bowling this year.
The Delhi Capitals have come off a Super Over win, and the Royal Challengers Bangalore aim to bounce back from their first loss in the Indian Premier League 2021. So the face-off throws up the prospect of an exciting match tonight with Rishabh Pant’s Delhi enjoying the edge.
With the action having shifted to Ahmedabad, both the set of batsmen must be rubbing their hands in glee. For, the ball comes on to the bat nicely at the Motera pitch. A run-riot is expected, but that expectation should be tempered with the fact that fast bowlers could get some help early on.
There’s little to separate the two balanced sides. Perhaps, this is a good time for Delhi to bring in Anrich Nortje since off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has gone to support his family in Chennai when COVID-19 has wrought havoc all over India.
Despite the loss to the Chennai Super Kings, Virat Kohli’s RCB has no real reason to hit the panic buttons. So Navdeep Saini may retain his place, and Harshal Patel is likely to continue at the death despite the Ravindra Jadeja blitz.
