Kohli 73 keeps RCB in playoff contention
A blistering 18-ball 40 from Glenn Maxwell finished the job as RCB sealed an impressive win
A blistering 18-ball 40 from Glenn Maxwell finished the job as RCB sealed an impressive win
Scorer: Ranjith P | Commentator: @PeterDellaPenna
11.10 pm So RCB stay alive in the playoff race. They're currently in the fourth and final slot but must await results elsewhere to confirm their fate! Kohli produces a half-century and Maxwell could have been out first ball if the bails weren't too heavy to dislodge upon the stumps being hit, but he goes on to score 40 not out off 18 balls.
Gujarat captain Hardik Pandya: "It was just about a par score. Batting we did get 55 or 60 in the last five when the ball was stopping a bit but 168 we were quite happy. [On only using Lockie Ferguson sparingly] We wanted to give him the opportunity a bit but the wicket was holding a bit where we thought the ones who could bowl slower balls or take the pace away would be a better option. We kind of got it back in the game as well but Maxwell playing the way he played, and a couple of chances there, we were 10 runs short in the end. [Choosing to bat first at the toss to put his players under pressure in case they encounter same scenario in the playoffs] We were on the right path. We need to look after losing back-to-back wickets which we have spoken in the past where in T20 cricket if you lose back-to-back wickets, it puts you back a couple of overs. The learning is that in the playoffs, we don't lose back-to-back wickets. [Hardik's own form] It's always good to score runs but more than anything, the way the boys are gelling and the way things are going, for us this game was a learning. [Saha health] He was feeling his hamstring was tight. So just precautionary wise, we felt it was right to have Wadey keep."
RCB allrounder Glenn Maxwell: "I didn't want to soak up any time. If I could get those first couple away and try to take the pressure off Virat at the other end, we can keep the momentum going. If I got out first ball, it wouldn't have made a difference but if I soaked up a few dots, it could have given them some momentum back. Just trying to be ultra positive and obviously leave the game with no doubt because we felt like we dominated with the bat in that innings. [Asked if he heard the first ball hit the stumps] I didn't, but when I missed it I thought that's going to be pretty close to them. The worst thing is picking a wrong-un and missing it and thinking it's going to hit the stumps. You get those times when you need a bit of luck. Sometimes throughout this tournament it's been a bit up and down. You gotta take the good with the bad. It's like runout off the bowlers hand. Some things you can't do anything about but at least the bails stayed on for me this time. [Asked about his slip catch] In my mind I was moving a little bit too slowly and wasn't going to get there. It just hit perfectly in the fingers and stuck nicely. I've practiced that stuff my whole life and it's not something that is just out of the blue. It's one of those things I work really hard on. To have it stick perfectly and it gave us a great start, we were able to control the Powerplay after that. [On his bowling] It was just about holding my length. We saw Sai bowled beautifully there and there was a bit of hold for the finger spin. So just trying to make the most out of anything out of the surface. [Waiting for next results to learn their playoff fate] We'll be probably watching the Mumbai v Delhi game pretty closely. I wouldn't mind a round of golf tomorrow. There will be a bit of rehab going on. But I think the guys will stay really focused. The amount of hard work and effort that has gone into this team this year. We feel like we deserve to be in the final four and hopefully Mumbai will do the right thing by us and get us into the final four."
Virat Kohli has been named Player of the Match
That's it for today's live coverage. Come back tomorrow for some more live IPL action. On behalf of my commentary partner Hemant Brar, I'm Peter Della Penna. Take care!
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A blistering 18-ball 40 from Glenn Maxwell finished the job as RCB sealed an impressive win
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