Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals are up against each other in the last league match of the Indian Premier League 2021 in Dubai. Both teams are already through to the playoffs and RCB have only an outside chance to secure a top-two berth.
Virat Kohli won the toss and opted to bowl first. Rishabh Pant and Kohli, the both, named an unchanged playing XI.
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Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw started the innings with a flurry of boundaries. Both batsmen were looking in good touch and provided DC with a good start as they looted 55 runs inside the powerplay. Dhawan got out after scoring 43 runs in 35 balls but by then he and Shaw added 88 runs for the opening wicket.
Shaw followed him and got out six balls later after scoring 48 runs 31 balls. Rishabh Pant failed to put a good batting display as Daniel Christian dismissed him. Shreyas Iyer spent some time in the middle but wasn’t able to find his touch.
Shimron Hetmyer scored few boundaries in the death overs as DC managed to put 164/5 in 20 overs. RCB bowlers leaked only 36 runs in the last five overs.
In response, RCB got jolted early by Anrich Nortje as he dismissed Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli in his first seven balls. AB de Villiers walked out to bat at number four this time and tried to steady the ship with Srikar Bharat. Both added 49 runs for the third wicket before De Villiers got out to Axar Patel for run-a-ball 26.
Glenn Maxwell, then, came out at number five. He was living on the edge played luck-driven innings as he got dropped twice. Bharat, on the other end, was playing a good knock and notched up his maiden IPL fifty. Maxwell also got into his groove and got another fifty-plus score.
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With 19 off 12 balls, it looked like RCB will cruise easily but Anrich Nortje bowled a superb over and leaked only four runs. Avesh Khan had 15 runs to defend in the last over. Maxwell smashed a six on the first ball and give a good start to the over. A double followed on the next ball and then a leg bye on the third ball.
Eight were needed in the last three balls. Avesh bowled a brilliant bluff and scored a dot ball. With eight in the last two, Bharat slogged the ball and only manage two runs. Six were required on the last ball and Avesh bowled a wide and the equations were down to five of one.
Srikar Bharat pulled a rabbit out of his hat and smashed a six on the last ball over the long-on to win the match for RCB by seven wickets.
Watch the video of the final over here;
M56: RCB vs DC – K.S Bharat Six https://t.co/Oa61GLHILd
— Cricket Videos (@CricketVideos15) October 8, 2021
