HIGHLIGHTS | TABLE OF POINTS
Choosing to bat, skipper Faf du Plessis (55 from 44 balls) and Glenn Maxwell (54 from 33) scored half-centuries to help RCB make a competitive 171 from five.
In response, the RCB bowlers put on a glittering display to defeat the Rajasthan Royals, who won the title in their inaugural bowl in 2008, for a paltry 59 in 10.3 overs.
It was RR’s second-lowest total as they managed to surpass their previous low of 58 against the same opponents in 2009 by one run.
For RCB, Wayne Parnell (3/10) was the breaker in chief and the South African pacer was adjudicated as Man of the Match for his spectacular bowling figures.
Besides Parnell, Michael Bracewell and Karn Sharma each took two wickets Mohammed Siraj and Glenn Maxwell took one each.
The Royals lost five wickets for 25 runs in the powerplay with Parnell taking two including that of Jos Buttler (0) and captain Sanju Samson (4).
But it was Siraj, who had opened the doors by getting the wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal (0) in form. The youngster failed to control his shot and offered a simple catch to Virat Kohli midway through the second ball of the RR chase.
It was a rare instance that both RR openers went out for ducks as Buttler set off in the next after a short, wide delivery from Parnell.
Two balls later, Samson was dismissed as he committed a shot too early and the ball ballooned in the air to allow Anuj Rawat to take a well judged catch.
Three wickets down for 11 runs after two overs, the Royals survived the next two overs before Devdutt Padikkal who came on as ‘Impact Player’ in place of Yuzvendra Chahal was dismissed for four by Bracewell as the Royals’ procession to the locker room continued.
Root’s first IPL outing with the bat also proved to be a nightmare as he was ensnared in the LBW decision, becoming Parnell’s third victim.
Hetmyer was the only batsman who fought back and hit three consecutive sixes off Karn Sharma in the eighth over but was eventually dismissed in the tenth over by Glenn Maxwell’s bowling.
Adam Zampa and KM Asif opted not to extend the Royals’ misery by bowling within the space of three balls in the 11th over in one of the most one sided matches in the IPL.
Earlier, captain Faf du Plessis and Maxwell scored half-centuries as RCB posted a challenging 171 for 5 after choosing to bat.
Du Plessis (55 off 44 balls) and Maxwell (54 off 33 balls) continued their strong form on a slower pitch, but the Royals produced a disciplined bowling effort to stop RCB at a competitive total.
Anuj Rawat scored 29 not off just 11 in the order to take the RCB total past the 170 mark as they added 51 runs in the last five overs.
Australian left-arm spinner Adam Zampa (4-0-25-2) and pacer KM Asif (4-0-42-2) were the Royals’ most successful bowlers as Sandeep Sharma got one wicket.
Kohli punished Sandeep for a bound in the first over for bowling a ball short and wide, but he and du Plessis failed to get too many bounds after the introduction of spinners.
Zampa was bowled in in the second over but was hit for a six by du Plessis in the fourth over. Ashwin and Chahal also did quite well as RCB could only hit 42 for no loss in the powerplay.
The Royals got their first breakthrough in the form of Kohli (18 off 19 balls) in the seventh over with Asif claiming the valuable wicket. The ball inflated in the air and Yashasvi Jaiswal got a good catch.
The RCB were unable to step up the gas as they were 78 to 1 at the half. But by then Maxwell had settled down and started to impose himself on the RR bowlers.
Maxwell hit two fours off Sandeep in the 13th over and followed it up with a six off Ashwin in the next to boost the scoring rate.
Du Plessis then hit his fifth half-century of the season when he bowled Asif for a six in the 15th over. But the in-form South African batsman went down at the same time to become Asif’s second victim of the match.
Jaiswal was once again the one to take capture as du Plessis failed to exonerate him.
Du Plessis’ dismissal triggered RCB’s batting slump as Mahipal Lormor (1) and Dinesh Karthik (0) were out two and four balls after the captain’s departure.
(With inputs from PTI)
