From Virat Kohli’s century of half-centuries to Devdutt Padikkal’s calculated brilliance – RCB’s top three performers against RR

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru were mighty dominant against Rajasthan Royals in their green game as they blew apart the hosts with consummate ease. The bowlers kept a tight leash on the scoring rate while the batters hit the pedal from the word ‘go’ itself as RCB stamped their authority on the Battle Royale.

Here’s a quick glance at the top three performers for RCB against the might of RR in the latter’s backyard:

Virat Kohli – 62* (45)

Kohli didn’t want to go dashing from the first ball itself. With the surface being tentative and a bit of early movement to accompany, Kohli took his time. It was the last ball of Tushar Deshpande’s first over that saw him flick one to perfection through the cow-corner. Sandeep Sharma did produce an opportunity to get the better of Virat but Riyan Parag couldn’t make the most of it. The very next ball was crunched through the covers by VK to rub salts into the wounds of RR. He anchored the innings perfectly, running between the wickets frequently to keep the head of steam alive before he would turn the tap on. In the final stretch of the winning race, he came unhinged, clobbering the bowlers into every nook and cranny of the park. He also became the second player in the history of IPL to rack up 100 T20 fifties after David Warner.

Phil Salt – 65 (33)

Salt had an early lifeline as an almost unplayable inswinger from Jofra Archer caught him off-guard. However, the rude awakening after that jaffa from Jofra got him into position to hook the bumper that followed suit over the leg side for a maximum. Salt had no relent whatsoever, especially against Archer as his next over also saw the RCB opener smoke him for 11 runs. That was just a glimpse of the madness to unfurl in the upcoming overs and by the time he was done, RCB had already breached the barriers of scoring quick and were firmly positioned in the driver’s seat.

Devdutt Padikkal – 40* (28)

The southpaw walked out to bat after Phil Salt’s departure. With Kohli still resorting to a cool and calm demeanour in the mix, it was Padikkal who chose to blaze through. Wanindu Hasaranga’s introduction into the mix saw Padikkal hammer an exquisite cover drive. From thereon, he mixed and matched his innings to the required tempo as RCB walked through the finish line without breaking a sweat.