Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) ended their 17-year winless streak at MA Chidambaram Stadium by defeating Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 50 runs in the 18th edition of Indian Premier league (IPL). Batting first, RCB posted a competitive 196/7, powered by skipper Rajat Patidar’s 51 off 32 and contributions from Phil Salt (32 off 16) and Tim David (22 off 8).
Noor Ahmad was the standout for the Men in Yellow bowling attack, claiming crucial wickets of openers Phil Salt and Virat Kohli before dismissing Liam Livingstone towards the end. The Afghanistan spinner finished with figures 3 for 36.
In the second innings, Chennai Super Kings batters struggled, losing wickets at regular intervals with no real momentum in their chase. Rachin Ravindra was the only bright spot, scoring a steady 41 off 31 balls. MS Dhoni played a cameo at No. 9, scoring an unbeaten 30 off 16 balls, but their efforts went in vain as Chennai fell well short.
For Bengaluru, Josh Hazlewood led the bowling attack brilliantly, finishing with figures of 3 for 21. His efforts played a key role in restricting Super Kings to 146/8 at their home ground in Chepauk, securing a long-awaited victory for RCB. In the end, both sides witnessed a remarkable bowling display from Ahmad and Hazlewood, making it an engaging contest in a tournament often dominated by high-scoring encounters.
1. Economy Rate:
Noor Ahmad had an economy rate of 9 in this game, which is a tad above par. However, he made up for it by taking crucial wickets. The 20-year-old delivered two excellent overs in his spell, but the remaining two went for 26 runs, which led to his higher economy rate. On the other hand, Josh Hazlewood delivered an impressive spell, picking up three wickets at an economy rate of 5.25. He dismissed top-order batters Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rahul Tripathi, keeping the Super Kings batters in check and maintaining control over the game by restricting the flow of runs.
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2. Variation:
Ahmad bowled almost all his deliveries at a full length, staying close to the batters. However, the RCB batters picked up his length early and dispatched the ball over the fence, as the pitch offered little variation or turn. In contrast, Hazlewood stuck to a back of length strategy, keeping the ball short and making the batters guess and it led to crucial wickets and restricted the run flow in his spell.
3. Impact:
Ahmad’s impact was minimal despite picking up wickets, as his expensive overs contributed to setting a tough target for his team. In contrast, the Australian kept his lengths and lines simple, which played a key role in securing a dominant victory for his team and gaining them the top position in the table.
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