IPL 2018: Virat Kohli's fastest fifty not enough and other talking points as Rajasthan Royals defeat Royal Challengers Bangalore

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  • Kohli scored a 26-ball fifty in defeat. Image - IPL/Twitter.

    Bowlers from both sides were put under intense pressure Rajasthan Royals scripted a 19-run victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore in theirIPL clash at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday.

    Batting first, the Rajasthan Royals amassed 217-4, thanks to a breathtaking knock from Sanju Samson who hit 92 off 45 deliveries with two boundaries and 10 sixes. The Royal Challengers put up a fight but finished on 198-6 as they fell to a second defeat in three matches.

    Here, we look at the key talking points from a high-scoring clash.

    SAMSON GOES BERSERK

    The Royal Challengers had started well with the ball as D’Arcy Short fell cheaply for the third consecutive innings . What followed was utter mayhem as Samson walked out to the crease. The 23-year-old only dealt in sixes as he tore apart the RCB bowling unit with clean hits across the park.

    He raced away to fifty without hitting a single boundary and it was not until the 19th over that Samson registered his first four of the innings. By that time, he had already carted eight sixes around the Chinnaswamy Stadium, a new IPL record. The right-handed batsmen smashed five sixes and two boundaries off his last eight deliveries as he finished unbeaten on 92.

    KOHLI FIGHTS FIRE WITH FIRE

    After Samson’s whirlwind innings, RCB skipper Virat Kohli was not going to be left behind. With Brendon McCullum falling in the first over of the chase, Kohli took it upon himself to drive the hosts’ reply.

    Kohli found the gaps with a mix of orthodox cricketing shots and a few wild slogs. Keeping Bangalore close to the asking-rate, Kohli raced away to fifty off just 26 deliveries. This was the fastest of Kohli’s 33 half-centuries in the IPL.

    The skipper was looking in imperious touch and was threatening to take the game away from the Royals single-handedly before being caught on the boundary ropes off Shreyas Gopal for 57 (30).

    AB DE VILLIERS FAILS TO MAKE MOST OF REPRIEVE

    With 217 to defend, Rajasthan Royals knew the wickets of Kohli and AB de Villiers should settle the affair. While Kohli got off to a flier, De Villiers looked scratchy at the start.

    The South African was batting on two runs when he charged at Royals’ spinner Shreyas Gopal in the ninth over. Gopal bowled a googly, deceiving the batsman in the air and beating his inside edge. However, Jos Buttler failed to collect the ball with De Villiers stranded some way down the pitch.

    Luckily for the Royals, the Proteas batsman did not do too much damage as he was dismissed by the very same bowler. A half-tracker down the leg side proved to be De Villiers’ downfall as he smashed the ball straight into the hands of Jaydev Unadkat at deep square-leg.

    That didn’t matter to Gopal, who is a local boy, as he took a celebratory lap around the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

    SUNDAR AND MANDEEP FIGHT BACK

    With the fall of De Villiers’ wicket, the Royals were within touching distance of victory. However, a half-century stand for the sixth wicket between Washington Sundar and Mandeep Singh gave Bangalore a glimmer of hope.

    Sundar especially looked extremely good. The two found boundaries towards the end as panic started to set in in the Royals camp.

    The duo bought the equation down to 38 off 10 balls before Sundar was bowled off a full-toss by Ben Stokes. Nevertheless, those late runs will come in handy for the Royal Challengers if net run rate comes into play towards the end of the league phase.

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