Champions League SRL | DC vs RCB Evaluation Chart : Parthiv Patel blitzkrieg guides Bangalore to comfortable win

It was a game of pure contrasts and one that tells a story about the changes and affirmatives of T20 cricket. After choosing to bat first, Delhi batted in a fashion that would even put Aakash Chopra to shame, and they managed a total of 93 runs as the 15-over mark hit the scoreboard. But Rishabh Pant had other plans in his mind, one that saw the Capitals dominate the proceedings with consummate ease. His 75 runs off 41 balls helped them reach a commendable total of 164 runs.

RCB’s chase started in a stunning fashion, with both Parthiv Patel and Aaron Finch declaring their intent early on in the innings. Once Parthiv took the attack on Ishant Sharma, there was no looking back as the duo batted with utter disdain for any kind of bowlers Shreyas Iyer deployed meanwhile. Such was Delhi’s desperation that the first wicket actually fell in the 14th over, but the result was pretty much decided in the twin-strike over. Parthiv Patel continued the amazing work to guide Bangalore to an eight-wicket victory.

No team can afford to have a player like Jason Roy failing but using 22 balls to eventually be dismissed. It was a disturbing day of T20 cricket, and Roy could have added the fire after being well set in the middle. But when he was dismissed in the 8th over, an out-of-form Shreyas Iyer followed suit to put Delhi in a difficult situation. Everything else after that was too little, too late.

The Virat Kohli form was the ultimate low in the game. In the New Zealand tour, Kohli’s performance reached a never-seen low and in the world of SRL simulation, his form doesn’t seem to be coming back anytime soon. He had an indifferent IPL SRL, damning Super Sixes SRL and today, with the base set for him to give the finishing touch, he could only manage a single. Talk about a reversal of fortunes! 

For a team that boasts some of the finest batting talents in the country, including aggressive Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan, it was a shame the way powerplay panned out. 40 runs for the loss of two wickets were all that DC could dish out in the six-over period, with Navdeep Saini and Umesh Yadav troubling them to no end. Even when Jason Roy came out to bat after Shaw’s dismissal, he was anything but inspiring. Come to think of it, the guy, who can hit runs for fun after having a hamstring pull, managed just 17 runs off 22. 

After struggling in the first part, it was prudent for the Delhi unit to stand tall to the insane pressure exerted by the Bangalore pacers. But as if the strangulation was well planned, the spinner didn’t give any leeway to Shreyas Iyer’s men as runs came like sprinkle on a winter evening. With Roy failing massively, the onus was on Iyer and Pant, but the former had a forgettable outing as the side could only muster a maximum of 53 runs in the phase.

Let’s face it. 93 runs in the first 15 overs and then 71 runs in the last five. It was that kind of a game for Delhi Capitals thanks to the sheer majesty of one guy - Rishabh Pant. The Indian wicket-keeper was enough to alter the entire dynamics of RCB bowling unit with some frenzied batting display. So much so that, there was not a single over in the death that saw RCB stopping them below 10 runs in any overs.

After an almost anti-climatic 15 overs, the game was totally different, with Rishabh Pant and Parthiv Patel making it an exhibition of sorts. The sense of provocativeness that it provided for the RCB fans was totally enjoyable from a neutral standpoint too. It passes as above average.