RCB send Delhi Capitals crashing to their fifth straight defeat
Their bowlers, led by quicks Siraj and Vysakh, the debutant, put on a special show to put RCB on top after their had put up a modest-looking 174
Their bowlers, led by quicks Siraj and Vysakh, the debutant, put on a special show to put RCB on top after their had put up a modest-looking 174
Scorer: Ranjith P | Commentator: @PeterDellaPenna
7.10 pm Much of the drama of that chase was sucked out in the first four overs and once Axar got out, the final overs just meandered along with Pandey's half-century a silver lining for Delhi. The fielding by Delhi was poor in the first innings, missing several chances. By comparison, RCB were switched on from the very first over with Rawat's runout of Shaw a great catalyst for a tremendous team-wide fielding effort.
Delhi captain David Warner: "I said at the toss that we had to do both disciplines very well and unfortunately we did it again tonight where we lost too many early wickets. We didn't build partnerships chasing that total. It should have been an easy task but unfortunately we didn't come up trumps. We lose three wickets in the Powerplay and runouts are non-negotiable in this format and that sometimes can cost you the game. Siraj had his tail up and bowled extremely well. You can't take credit away from the way they came out and started as well. The positives were great with the bowling and fielding were exceptional. Our attitude and energy were amazing. But yet again it was just our batting. We're going to have to try to work out how we're going to take on the Powerplay and not lose early wickets, especially in the first two or three overs. That's going to hurt you in a lot of games. We have to have a hard look at ourselves and come back strong with five days off. Things aren't working at the moment but teams have come back from 0-5 so hopefully we can be that second team."
RCB bowler Vijaykumar Vyshak after his three wickets on IPL debut: "I've been waiting for this opportunity for a very long time. I've been working hard so I think it's been paying off. Faf came and told me that the wicket was holding a bit so I backed my strength and bowled my slower ones a little more and I think that helped for me. I've been working on it for two years so I think it's finally paid off. I wasn't ready to bowl the knuckle ball but Faf came and told me again, 'You can probably go for a slower one' so I thought I'll do that and I got a wicket. It's very important because the management has told me to go express yourself so I think I did that and I'm very pleased with the performance. [Prior to being added to the official squad] I was in as a net bowler so I was just helping the boys."
RCB captain Faf du Plessis: "We unfortunately have had to defend a few games in a row now at the Chinnaswamy and it's not always easy so I'm very proud of the bowlers tonight. It's difficult because it's the first day game of the season and also with the new rule now with the extra batter, you always feel like you need to get more. So even at halfway stage, 175 in a day game usually feels like a really good score but it's just that unknown factor with the extra batter but it proved to be the right score. The way we bowled in that first six overs, not only today but so far in all the games, Siraj is bowling beautifully. In a game where it's a bit slower the wicket, generally the first six overs is the most important with the bat. You want to try to play positive and get ahead of the rate but the way we bowled was just unbelievable. So huge credit to our seamers in the first six."
Player of the match is Virat Kohli for his first innings half-century and his three catches. "[On the first catch skier over cover] It was a bit of a tricky one when it went up in the air. I first of all made sure that no one is close to me so I had space to judge the ball. It was quite difficult but the other two were quite easy. I was quite disappointed that I got out to a full toss. I'd been playing really well and after I got to 50, I was targeting 30-35 runs in the next 10 balls. That's usually how I play and that would've helped us get past 200. I mentioned to the guys in the change room that it felt like 175 was enough on this pitch. It felt like it slowed down."
That's it for live coverage from this match. Switch over to the commentary feed for Lucknow Super Giants and Punjab Kings, which gets underway in just a few minutes. On behalf of the scoring team, I'm Peter Della Penna, take care!
RCB have wasted a huge opportunity here to boost their NRR. Tail wagging plenty for Delhi.
Warner and Marsh are among those missing their bats after the team returned home from Bengaluru
Assistant coach Watson says the team has spoken to Shaw to "have the freedom to go out there and trust his skills"
Their bowlers, led by quicks Siraj and Vysakh, the debutant, put on a special show to put RCB on top after their had put up a modest-looking 174
The visitors in Bengaluru will be looking for their first win in IPL 2023