On this day in 2019: Kohli and AB de Villiers ace the chase
The 2019 season of the IPL season was one to forget for RCB. Six games without a single win, with defeats being snatched from the jaws of victory was a major cause for disappointment. Kings XI Punjab, the opponents in the next game were on a decent run of form having won 4 out of their first half of league games and were harbouring hopes of making it to the playoffs. If the contrasting forms of the two teams wasn’t enough, playing away at Mohali would’ve made the task even harder for the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Virat Kohli, having won the toss and put Kings XI in to bat, might have started to regret his decision after the powerplay. The in-form Kings XI opening pair of Chris Gayle and KL Rahul looked like taking the game away from RCB, with the opening duo putting on 66 at more than 10 an over. It took the guile of Yuzvendra Chahal who beat an advancing KL Rahul in flight and spun the ball past him for a gleeful Parthiv Patel to take the bails off.
The spin bowling combination of Chahal and Moeen Ali applied the brakes on the Kings XI innings during the middle over, with the duo giving away only 52 runs between their 8 overs and picking up 3 key wickets. Although there weren’t any significant contribution around him, Gayle kept himself going. His 64-ball 99 against his former team guided Punjab to a respectable 173/4 in their 20 overs. The performance is even more commendable considering no other batsman went past the 20 run mark for Kings XI Punjab.
The 85 run stand between Kohli and De Villiers laid the platform for RCB’s run-chase
RCB began the chase well, with Parthiv Patel seizing the initiative early. The 43 run opening stand which came in just under 4 overs put the chase well on track. Parthiv’s overzealousness saw him spooning one to long-off against Ashwin, which brought AB De Villiers to the middle. More often than not when Kohli and De Villiers get a partnership going, they pace the innings to perfection, and this day in Mohali was no different. Kohli never let the required run rate escalate, while AB de Villiers got himself set.
Kohli brought up his half century in 37 balls and AB de Villiers was slowly getting into the groove. The duo recognized that there wasn’t a need for risk-taking and kept the scoreboard ticking at a consistent clip while picking up the odd boundary whenever the opportunity presented itself. With just under 10 an over needed off the final 5 overs, Kohli decided to take the matter into his own hands and finish off the chase. Trying to take on his Indian teammate Shami on, Kohli pulled one straight to deep mid-wicket's hands. Could there be a twist in the tale?
With Kohli gone, the onus was now on the experienced overseas pair of De Villiers and Marcus Stoinis to take the team home. With 38 needed off the last 3 overs, it was Stoinis who put his foot down first against his fellow Aussie Andrew Tye with two consecutive boundaries to start the over off. A classy lofted drive over extra cover from AB De Villiers cleared the ropes and RCB were back on top. The 19th over of an innings is always crucial, and the De Villiers-Stoinis combo was not going to let the game slip. They took on Shami, and the over yielded 14 runs, the last ball of which was a trademark hit over long-leg for a maximum by AB De Villiers. A boundary and a sprint for a brace later, RCB were home and hosed for their first taste of victory for the 2019 season.
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