IPL SRL | RCB vs SRH Evaluation Chart - Moeen Ali, Morris’s unlikely blitz seals RCB hard-fought win
RCB beat SRH in the SRL
|An astonishing assault from the duo of Moeen Ali and Chris Morris - who put together 80 runs at the death - helped RCB post a total of 189/6 in their first innings and seal a 11-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad. For SRH, big scores from Warner and Williamson weren’t enough to steer them home.
Match Review
Winning the toss and bowling first, SRH were, in the initial stages, served what they expected - a monstrous cameo from the hands of Aaron Finch. The big man from Victoria, despite losing his partner Parthiv early on, got RCB off to a flyer, but he perished right at the end of the powerplay to leave RCB on 49/2 at the end of the 6th over. Kohli and de Villiers then took control of the innings for the next seven overs, taking the score to 85/2, but RCB’s hopes of putting a decent total were shattered when Rashid and Shankar reduced them to 100/5 in no time. However, in what was one of the most anticlimactic and emphatic finishes in SRL history, the unlikely duo of Moeen Ali and Chris Morris stunningly hit 11 BOUNDARIES between them to collect 80 runs off the last 5 and push RCB’s score to 189.
Heading into the chase of 190, the key to SRH’s victory was simple - one of their three big guns needed to bat long and deep. Baristow ruled himself out of the fight after perishing in the second over, but both Warner and Williamson coasted along effortlessly for no less than 12 overs to propel the score to 106/1 in no time. However, as was the case in RCB’s innings, the Orange Amry, too, against the run of play, endured a mini collapse and lost three wickets - Warner, Williamson and Pandey - in the span of 11 balls, meaning they were 123/4 at the end of the 15th over, needing 67 more runs at the death. Virat Singh then almost pulled off the impossible, scoring a 17-ball 45, but eventually, the mountain became too big to climb as RCB scripted a 11-run win.
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Turning Point
Despite the horror show at the death with the ball in their hand, SRH were in firm control of the game with Warner and Williamson at the middle, but everything changed when the Aussie was dismissed. That triggered a mini collapse and eventually, the asking rate was too much for the inexperienced Indian batsmen in the middle to handle.
Highs and Lows
The undisputable high from the game came from the bats of Moeen Ali and Chris Morris. RCB stood little chance at the death after losing all their main men, but the duo pulled off a superhero’esque display to help the team score EIGHTY RUNS off the last five overs. The duo ensured that the sunset, contrary to the script, was not too pleasant for the SRH side.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s erratic performance with the ball left the SRH fans with a bitter taste. After giving away 19 runs off his first two overs, Bhuvi had the chance to make amends towards the death, but he instead ended up giving away 27 more runs to finish with figures of 0/46. In fact, Bhuvi, himself, conceded FOUR SIXES in the game. An off day for SRH’s talisman.
Rating Charts
Powerplay exploitation: Bangalore 7.5/10 and SRH 7/10
Aaron Finch has had his troubles in the past against Bhuvneshwar Kumar, but the Aussie skipper put his nightmares to bed on the day as he struck a six off just the sixth ball of the innings to get RCB underway. It was contrasting fortunes for his partner Parthiv Patel, however, who was dismissed for just 6, but despite losing his partner, Finch inflicted punishment on the SRH bowlers. To RCB’s dismay, though, the Victorian perished for just 23 after promising a lot, and the big man’s dismissal meant that RCB put the brakes on their scoring, as Kohli and de Villiers anchored the side to 49/2 at the end of the powerplay.
It was a trademark explosive response from SRH’s top-order in their quest to chase 190, as the Orange Army dispatched the ball to the boundary no less than seven times in the powerplay to keep up with the rate - despite losing Bairstow in just the second over. At 42/1 off 5 overs, the chasing side had a golden opportunity to put the foot on the pedal and push towards the 60-run mark, but in what was the second anticlimactic event of the game, Navdeep Saini, instead, ended up bowling a maiden. The dull end to SRH’s powerplay took the RRR to 10.57 at the end of the phase.
Middle-overs manoeuvring: Bangalore 6/10 and SRH 7/10
The middle-overs beckoned and Kohli and de Villiers did what they do the best: milk runs and keep the run rate going without taking risks; despite hitting just two boundaries, the duo scored 31 runs between overs 6 to 10. However, well set to launch at 85/2 in the 11th over, the Royal Challengers were dealt a daunting TRIPLE BLOW by SRH. After Rashid Khan saw the back of Kohli, a stunning over from Vijay Shankar - which accounted for six runs and two wickets - shook the Reds and reduced them to 100/5 in no time. Moeen Ali and Chris Morris just collected 8 runs off overs 14 and 15 as RCB finished the middle-overs on 109/5, having scored just 60 runs off the phase.
SRH endured a relatively slow start to the middle overs, scoring 13 runs off the first two overs, but the snail-ish start was history in no time as overs 9, 10 and 11 yielded as astounding 39 runs, thanks to magic from the willows of both Warner and Williamson. However, that turned out to be a smokescreen for a major collapse as after looking unassailable at one stage, SRH lost Warner, Williamson and Manish Pandey in the span of 11 balls to surrender the edge they had in the game. They eventually ended the middle overs on 123/4, needing 67 to win off the last five.
Death bowling:- SRH 1/10 and Bangalore 4/10
Having dismissed dangermen Kohli and AB, the death overs were supposed to be a regulation steamroll for SRH, at least on paper, but reality was anything but kind to them. Having taken their time to get going, the duo of Ali and Morris launched a brutal attack on the SRH bowlers as RCB remarkably ended up collecting 80 runs at the death. The first 4 overs, bowled by Rashid and Bhuvi, yielded a mammoth 67 runs and that made Sandeep Sharma, who conceded 3 extras and 13 runs off the final over, lose focus. Ali and Morris hit an astonishing three fours and SEVEN sixes as they, together, put on 80 off the last 30 balls to propel RCB to 189/6.
It only took two balls for the RCB bowlers to strike at the death as danger man Vijay Shankar perished to the witty Yuzi Chahal. With the run rate over 16, the game looked well and beyond SRH but the Sunrisers were catapulted back into the game thanks to a breathtaking cameo from Virat Singh, who struck an incredible 17-ball 45. Virat Singh’s knock, which featured FIVE humongous sixes, almost helped his side pull off an improbable heist, but the RCB bowlers, at the end, held their nerve to ensure that they got over the line. SRH, nevertheless, put up a great fight, taking 55 runs off the last 5; it just wasn’t good enough, though.
Match Frenzy O Meter - GREAT
It was a breathtaking game of cricket from top to bottom. Seldom was there a dull passage of play and constant shifts in momentum between the two sides made it an absolute treat to watch. Virat Singh’s cameo, if anything, was the icing on the cake as it kept the match alive till the very last over.
