Synopsis: Bangalore boy Cariappa spins a web around RCB. However, AB de Villiers’ blitz propels them to a commanding total. In the end, captain Murali Vijay’s courageous knock gets undone as Punjab fall short by just one run. The AB blitz AFTER BEING asked to take first strike on a slowish track in Mohali, Royal Challengers Bangalore trudged along to 113/3 after 15 overs. At this stage, they were looking at 150. Under the circumstances, it looked like a par score. The Kings XI Punjab bowlers were however, buoyed by their stupendous performance in the death overs in their previous game against the Delhi Daredevils, which helped them seal that game. The chief architect for Punjab then was Sandeep Sharma. It did not come as a surprise when his captain Murali Vijay brought him on for his third spell. He was up against AB de Villiers (batting on 25) and Sachin Baby (unbeaten on 24). Both were relatively subdued till then, collecting ones and twos at will. After seeing off the first two deliveries from Sandeep, AB decided to up the ante. The 32-year-old got a low full toss, which he walks across almost nonchantly to despatch it over the square leg boundary for a huge six. That shot proved to be a catharsis for both AB and the RCB. Two deliveries later, he once again showcased his insouciance — employing a flat batted hoick — which sailed over the extra cover region for a boundary. Sandeep Sharma, one of Vijay’s go-to man in the death overs had conceded 16 runs in his final spell. The following over yielded 14 runs, with AB racing to his fifty with a delightful boundary (a wristy sweep) off Mohit Sharma. In between those extravagant hits, it’s AB’s running, which caught the eye. He had collected eight doubles to keep the scoreboard ticking. Both Sandeep and Mohit, who were pin-point accurate with their yorkers against the Daredevils, were clueless against AB’s might. Between Overs 14-18, RCB creamed off 53 runs. AB was finally dismissed for 64, adding a crucial 88 runs for the fourth wicket with Sachin Baby. Their stand proved to be the cornerstone, which propelled RCB to 175 at the half-way mark. Carriappa spins a web At the end of the Powerplay, Murali Vijay would have been a very tense captain. That’s because RCB’s openers led by KL Rahul and Virat Kohli had given RCB a rollicking start, scoring 61 after six overs. Vijay, meanwhile, had rotated his fast bowlers, giving them one-over bursts. The move was not surprising. Vijay wanted to keep Sandeep and Mohit for the death overs. However, the pressing need were quick wickets. Thankfully for Punjab, the breakthroughs were provided by KC Cariappa. Bowling a mix of leg-spinners and seam-ups, he got immediate returns from the slowish track here in Mohali. Cariappa first induced a rare false stroke from KL Rahul. To a relatively quick delivery, Rahul tried an audacious sweep, which rattled his stumps. Rahul departed for 42. It’s not often that one gets to see Kohli getting overshadowed. But that’s precisely what Rahul did tonight. His brief stay was entertaining, and it gave his side a solid platform. RCB were well and truly in a spot of bother when their talisman captain — Virat Kohli was dismissed two balls later for 20. IPL 9’s top run getter, fresh from his century in the last game, looked a bit out of sorts against Punjab’s spinners. When Axar Patel got rid of Shane Watson in the next over, the hosts clearly held the edge. The late-order blitz from AB notwitstanding, there were some glaring errors in the manner in which Vijay had rotated his bowlers. It’s difficult to fathom why two of his most economical bowlers — Anureet (3-0-15-2), and Cariappa (3-0-16-2) — were not allowed to complete their quota, while Stoinis was persisted with despite conceding 20 runs in his opening over. Captain courageous It’s no secret that bowling has been RCB’s weak link in this tournament. They have allowed teams to chase down scores in excess of 180 on three occasions, and none of their bowlers barring Shane Watson have insipred confidence. RCB’s bowlers have a combined economy rate of 9.45, which is the worst among all teams. Watson, on the other hand, has gone at a shade over 8 runs per over. This stat best sums up Bangalore’s bowling travails. The induction of Chris Jordan in the line-up was a ploy to add some muscle to their bowling. In the end, RCB bowlers almost fluffed up in their defence of 175. Both Jordan and Binny were guilty of bowling far too many loose deliveries upfront, which were skillfully despatched for boundaries by Murali Vijay and Hashim Amla. The duo raced to 43 in five overs, before Kohli called on his trumpcard Shane Watson. And almost on cue, the burly Aussie got rid of Amla to restore parity in the proccedings. Punjab keeper Wriddhiman Saha walked in at No. 3, but did little to help his side’s cause, dismissed for 16, After 11 overs, Vijay was batting on 47, with Punjab needing another 88 runs for a win. This was when Vijay decided to tee off. In the next six overs (till his departure), he added another 42 runs to his personal tally, bringing the equation down to 37 runs in three overs. Vijay was particularly belligerent against Iqbal Abdullah and fast bowler Varun Aaron. However, his dismissal came just at the apt moment for Kohli’s men. Watson, came back to bowl a tight penultimate over. Seventeen were required off the last over. However, Jordan was punished twice for erring in length, getting slammed for 10 runs by Stoinis, to bring the equation down to six runs off three deliveries. Stoinis, was unable to clear the boundary in the final three deliveries, and Punjab fell short by just one excruciating run.
