On this day in 2013: RCB ace the super-over against Delhi

Royal Challengers Bangalore had started off the 2013 season decently with three wins off the first five games. The two defeats had come in extremely close games - one off a super over against the Sunrisers and the other in a last ball thriller against the Chennai Superkings. RCB needed to get a winning run going and avoid any mid-season slump. They were up against Delhi Daredevils at home. Bangalore were in red-hot form at home, having won all the three games at the Chinnaswamy thus far.

Being put in to bat, Delhi Daredevils got off to a flyer, courtesy Virender Sehwag and David Warner. At 42/0 after 5 overs, Daredevils threatened to put up a substantial total. However, Vinay Kumar plucked off a sharp reflex catch to dismiss David Warner to break the dangerous opening partnership and give RCB their first breakthrough. Within 3 balls, Sehwag departed chipping one tamely to mid-wicket off Andrew McDonald. 

Delhi innings struggled to gather steam post the dismissals of the two destroyers. Manprit Juneja and Mahela Jayawerdene laboured to run-a-ball 30-run stand before the former lost his patience and hit one straight to long-on. Australian Ben Rohrer did not add any significant acceleration to the scoring. Delhi found it hard to find the boundary and the run rate hovered around 6.5 an over even by the end of 18th over despite the Daredevils still having 6 wickets left. Daredevils however found a final flourish. Kedar Jadhav and Irfan Pathan providing some relief to the slumbering Delhi innings, taking 30 runs off the last two overs from Ravi Rampaul and RP Singh. RCB needed 153 to win.

Virat Kohli scored a sublime half-century to take RCB close to the finish line

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RCB had a new opening pair in Chris Gayle and KL Rahul. Rahul gave a glimpse of his abilities, stroking Ashish Nehra through the off-side for two consecutive boundaries. But, the veteran Indian bowler got his own back against the young talent as Rahul top-edged a pull shot into the safe hands of Jayawerdene at mid-on. Chris Gayle had to face a barrage of short-pitched bowling by the tall South African quickie Morne Morkel. Gayle seemed to have gotten the better, having cleared the ropes twice in three balls. But, the storm soon passed without leaving much in its wake, as one attacking shot too many found Gayle’s outside edge which flew to third-man where Umesh Yadav completed the dismissal of the Caribbean marauder.

With the score at 26/2, RCB needed the experience of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers in the run-chase. The duo delivered as they invariably do, playing risk free cricket and classical offence. Virat Kohli was especially harsh on Shahbaaz Nadeem, clearing the long-on fence first and then a late cut and a pull brought eight more runs. The 103-run partnership seemed to have quashed all Delhi hopes. De Villiers was uncharacteristically run out trying to take on his fellow Protean Morne Morkel only to find himself short of the ground. Despite his dismissal, RCB were comfortable, with 24 needed off the last 4 overs with Kohli batting and 7 wickets in hand.

But, RCB committed harakiri. First, it was McDonald who chipped one back to Nadeem, then Arun Karthik was late in responding to Virat’s call for a third run and was run out. Pressure got to Syed Mohammad whose attempt at clearing the long-on fence fell short by a few yards and found David Warner. The equation was not 15 needed off 9 with 6 wickets down. As if things couldn’t get any worse, Virat tried to clear the off-side circle, only to find Jayawerdene at extra cover on the edge of the ring. RCB had imploded from a seemingly impossible position to lose from in a span of 19 balls which yielded only 9 runs and the loss of 5 wickets, including that of Kohli and De Villiers.

The last over was to be bowled by Irfan Pathan, and with what had transpired the momentum was firmly with the Daredevils. Ravi Rampaul and Vinay Kumar would’ve been expecting an early night were tasked with rescuing a failing pursuit. Rampaul, however nonchalantly clobbered one over covers off the very first ball of the final over to give RCB chase a new breath of life. With 6 needed off the last 5 balls, the duo displayed sensible batting, looking for singles and twos. With 2 needed off the final 2 deliveries, the penultimate ball was missed by Ravi Rampaul. The game was still not won. RCB needed a brace off the final ball. Rampaul heaved and missed, but RCB stole a bye. The game had gone to the super-over.

AB de Villiers brought back the lost spark and voices for RCB, launching Umesh Yadav into the crowd. RCB had scored 15 runs in the over. David Warner cut one straight to point off the first ball against an ecstatic Ravi Rampaul. The game was almost won. But, Delhi were still fighting. Irfan Pathan launched into Rampaul and reduced the equation to 6 needed off the last 2. The 5th ball yielded only a single and took Irfan Pathan off strike. Rohrer needed to clear the fence off the last ball, but he missed it and Rampaul shattered the stumps. RCB had eventually won the game, albeit through a tedious route.