IPL 2017: Royal Bangalore Challengers All But Out Of Contention For Playoffs After Loss To Rising Pune Supergiant
While Rising Pune Supergiant won their fifth IPL 2017 game, Royal Challengers Bangalore are practically out of the tournament with their seventh defeat in 10 matches.
Highlights
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RCB lost by 61 runs to RPS
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Virat Kohli got out for 55
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Imran Tahir finished with figures of 3 for 18
Formidable Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) led by India captain Virat Kohli became the first team to be almost thrown out of contention for play-offs after a humiliating 61-run defeat against Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) in an Indian Premier League encounter on Saturday. Although the RCB bowlers managed to keep the Pune batsmen under a tight leash restricting them to 157 for three but another shoddy batting performance saw them finish at a dismal 96 for 9 after 20 overs.
While Pune kept themselves in contention with their fifth win in nine games, RCB are practically out of the tournament with their seventh defeat in 10 games and only five points in their kitty.
Pune bowlers rose to the occasion defending a sub-par total with a controlled bowling performance. Imran Tahir was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3/18 from four overs, while Lockie Ferguson claimed 2/7 in four overs to claim the Man of the match award. Jaydev Unadkat, Daniel Christian and Washington Sundar took one wicket each.
This is one of the rarest occasions when a team has been bundled out below 100 runs twice in the Indian Premier League. RCB were shot out for 49 by Kolkata Knight Riders in an earlier game in the tournament.
Chasing a modest 158, Bangalore just kept losing wickets despite skipper Kohli holding his ground at one end. Apart from Kohli, who came up with an uncharacteristic 48-ball-55, studded with four boundaries and a six, none of the other RCB batsmen could reach the double-digit mark. Though not in his usual aggressive self, Kohli single-handedly tried his best to bail the team out of trouble but just did not find an able partner at the other end. The highest partnership of just 21 runs tells the dismal saga of a vaunted batting line-up.
The visitors were gasping at 48 for five in the 10th over and there was no time when RCB showed any signs of revival. Kohli only reduced the margin of defeat with a gritty knock.