IPL 2024: Rajasthan bowlers set the tone

Ahmedabad: Rajasthan Royals’ bowlers answered their captain’s call with a disciplined bowling performance against Royal Challengers Bengaluru to lay a good foundation for their batters to complete the job in the Eliminator clash here on Wednesday.

In free-falling form coming into the do-or-die clash after losing four out of their last five games against a side who had won six on the bounce to make a miraculous entry into the play-offs, Rajasthan looked determined from the word go against the Royal Challengers at the Narendra Modi Stadium. 

They had RCB in all sorts of trouble for almost three-fourths of the innings, reducing them to 122/5. But the Royal Challengers, who bat much better as a unit than previous iterations, produced a late fightback to settle for a somewhat competitive 172/8. However, with the dew setting in, RCB bowlers will have a challenge on their hands to restrict RR below it.     

Rajasthan, whose bowlers have got the best economy of 8.26 in Power Play this IPL, were once again on the money on a somewhat tacky pitch that made stroke-making a tad difficult. Lead pacer Trent Boult, just like fellow left-armer Mitchell Starc for Kolkata Knight Riders in Qualifier 1, was brilliant in the opening spell. 

The Kiwi got the ball to swing both ways, delivered his patented yorkers and mixed it up nicely with a few short ones to keep both Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli guessing. As much as the in-form duo tried to take him on by shuffling across the crease or stepping down, the Kiwi was up for the game by making them play and miss, thanks to his pace.

So Du Plessis and Kohli had no option but to target Boult’s pace bowling partners Sandeep Sharma and Avesh Khan. They did so to give RCB some impetus but when Boult dismissed Du Plessis for 17 in his third over,  RCB stuttered. Boult finished his first spell with figures of 3-0-6-1 and RCB could only muster 50/1.

The onus was then on their leading run-scorer Kohli to play another big innings but Rajasthan had two great weapons in their armoury — Yuzvendra Chahal and R Ashwin — to quell him. The India spinners, who have formed a brilliant partnership for the inaugural champions since coming together in 2022, delivered three sucker punches that derailed RCB.

Leg-spinner Chahal was the first to land the blow on his former franchise, dismissing the big fish Kohli. Chahal, sensing Kohli would attempt a big shot, tossed one up nicely and the right-hander, without batting an eyelid, went for the slog-sweep — a shot that has got him so much success this season. However, today was not the day as he failed to get a good connection, offering Donovan Ferreira an easy catch in the deep. RCB were in a spot at 56/2.

Ashwin then swung the innings Rajasthan’s way with two major strikes in the 13th over. He first got Cameron Green, who was staging a mini recovery through Rajat Patidar after being promoted to No. 3, before dismissing the dangerous but completely out-of-sorts Glenn Maxwell off the very next ball. It was Maxwell's fourth duck this season and RCB were tottering  at 97/4.

Mahipal Lomror (32) struck some lusty blows towards the death but RCB kept losing wickets and never gained any sort of momentum.