Rajat’s eliminator century to DK’s magical finishing against the Capitals: Top 5 RCB moments from IPL 2022

They say that the destination doesn’t matter. It is the small moments constituting the entire journey that eventually remains. For the Royal Challengers Bangalore, IPL 2022 was nothing different. Despite falling one step short of the glorious final hurdle, the team built priceless memories together that would eventually pay tribute to the Class of '22.

From singing the team anthem to lending a shoulder to the ones on the field after defeats that were hard to swallow, the team became a family and they built together with a treasure trove of memories that would remain etched in golden letters in the antiquity of the franchise. Here are our top five moments forged by RCB in IPL 2022; as we call it memories that would stay.

1. Faf du Plessis’ 88 vs PBKS

It was a treat to witness how Faf du Plessis would totally change the narrative of the game in his very first appearance as an RCB player and the team's skipper. He would start on an untowardly slow note against the Punjab Kings in the IPL opener and then midway through his innings, he would take it upon himself to rain boundaries upon the mighty Kings. Of course, the knock was very special but the reason this was one memorable moment for the Challengers was because they got to witness the kind of carnage that the former South African skipper was capable of if he went berserk.

2. DK’s 66* vs DC

Another moment of awe and brilliance was when Dinesh Karthik chose to write his critics off completely. Before this game, people kept on saying that he was someone who was hired for his mindless rampage. But then the dynamics completely changed in the encounter against the Delhi Capitals. RCB was stuttering at 92 for 5 with the cream of their batting order back to the hut while Shahbaz tried to plug the initial gap. DK took a while to bring out the heavy artillery but once the cannons went off, Delhi scrambled desperately for shelter with the Finisher Supreme showing his class. He would eventually stay unbeaten for 66 which helped RCB pile up a momentous 189.

3. Josh Hazlewood’s 4 for 24 vs LSG

The Bendemeer Bullet was one of the most towering options in the ranks of RCB for the recently concluded season. His bowling exploits helped the Challengers to cross the inimical shores without much ado. Despite a handful of rare blips, the Australian express bowler would be a vital cog in the plans of Hesson and Bangar, scheming RCB’s way through the tournament. This performance against the Lucknow Super Giants was absolutely brilliant which saw him bagging the all-important scalps of Quinton de Kock, Manish Pandey, Ayush Badoni, and Marcus Stoinis. He would also be highly economical, conceding only 25 runs in the process.

4. Virat Kohli’s 74 vs GT

Virat didn’t really have a memorable IPL in 2022 but this was one very special innings that he would stitch for RCB to stay put in the tournament. There were a handful of exotic strokes that he would conjure and would successfully rekindle memories of signature Virat Kohli from the past. He would make excellent use of his footwork and would occasionally dance down the pitches to torment the bowlers in his own classic style. It was his 74 that would help RCB script a remarkable win against the 2022 champions, Gujarat Titans.

5. Rajat Patidar’s 112* vs LSG

RCB saved the best for the last as Rajat Patidar would rattle all the shackles to conjure a blistering ton that would eliminate the aspirations of the Super Giants. On a night where RCB would lose Faf for a duck, it was this youngster who fearlessly stepped on the gas, scorching the likes of Mohsin Khan, Krunal Pandya, Marcus Stoinis and co with consummate ease. More importantly, he was not someone to stay stuck in the middle for his own runs. He was turning the heat on and there was no reprieve for the Giants. By the time he was done with the torment, RCB has already amassed 207 runs on the cards - a total that was 14 runs too many for the Super Giants.