Siraj’s powerplay blitz and the spinners choke: 3 talking points from RCB’s win over KKR

RCB put out a thorough performance from ball one, not allowing KKR any room to breathe. Bowlers landed punch after punch, and the batsmen finished off a clinical showing as RCB humbled KKR for the second time in the 2020 edition of the Dream11 IPL. We look at 3 talking points from a game that RCB breezed through at Abu Dhabi.

The Siraj blitz

It is no more a bowler’s game, they say. T20 has skewed the game further in favor of the batsmen, they say. A bowler can get take a crucial wicket, but at the end of the day, the fans will remember the boundaries he gave away. But then along comes one spell, a moment of spark which turns into an endless cacophony of fireworks that remains in our memories for long. The game against KKR was Mohammed Siraj’s moment.

Siraj repeatedly referred to his evening as “magical”, and it was every bit so. A spell of fast bowling which would have made a certain South African pacer in sitting in the dugout proud. A bit of nip in the air and off the track, Siraj landing the ball perfectly on the spot left Kolkata batsmen clueless as Siraj, backed up well by Morris and Saini ran through the KKR top-order. A score of 4/14 indicative of the kind of dominance that was to sustain throughout the game. 

The spinners choke KKR again

Their role may have been different from the job they did while defending a score in the first leg, but RCB’s spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Washington Sundar were equally effective in the return leg as well. When RCB had their foot on KKR’s throat, the spinners had to make sure the pressure would not be released. Even a score of 120+ would have instilled belief in KKR’s bowling. Chahal and Sundar made sure KKR’s evening would not turn any brighter. 

Chahal trapped Dinesh Karthik in his very first over. He nearly had Pat Cummins only for DRS to overturn the leg-before. Washington Sundar at the other end was proving impossible to get away; Pat Cummins especially struggling to even lay bat on ball. Chahal enjoyed the spoils of Washi’s toil, Cummins attempting a big shot unsuccessfully against a much-too-clever leg spinner. When Morgan holed out to deep mid-wicket, KKR’s hopes of putting up a fight were all but over.

A cakewalk if ever there was one 

Once the bowling unit performed its task to utmost perfection, it was up to the batsmen to wrap up a clinical performance. And the batsmen did exactly that. The openers in Devdutt and Finch put up a 44-run stand which settled any possible nerves in the dressing room. Gurkeerat promoted to number three, staying not out, and finishing off the chase for the second game in a row was another tick in the box and capped off a perfect evening for a team now soaring with confidence.