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The outcome of clash between Delhi Capitals (DC) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at Dubai International Stadium was not supposed to disrupt the points table as both the teams had already qualified for the playoffs. Both the teams wanted to win to take the momentum into the playoffs. On a hot and humid evening in Dubai, RCB skipper Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to ball first. It was an even match-up between RCB bowlers and DC batters. After the end of 20 overs, RCB bowlers were able to restrict DC for a total of 164 runs for a loss of 5 wickets.
Coming to chase a total of 165, RCB openers Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal lost their wickets early. Padikkal got out in the first over without scoring a run whereas Kohli was removed by fast bowler Anrich Nortje for 4 runs. With only six runs on the scorecard and their both the openers back in the pavilion, this time AB De Villiers was promoted up the order at number 4. De Villiers and Srikar Bharat tried to rebuild the RCB innings and managed to added 49 runs on the board before the Proteas batsman was trapped by Axar Patel for 26. Next came Maxwell, the in-form batsman tried to get the run chase back on track. Bharat completed his half-century in 37 balls. In a game that went right down the wire, RCB emerged victorious with a seven-wicket win.
Bharat-Maxi Show
When RCB were down to 55 for 3, it looked like DC had the upper hand. But Bharat and Maxwell had other plans. Both the players played sensibly and played lofted shots only when required. They had their eyes on the required run rate and executed their plans accordingly. The uncapped Bharat led the run chase with a fine unbeaten knock of 78 runs from 49 balls laced with three fours and four sixes. The Australian batter on the other hand played a blistering knock of 51 runs in 33 balls with 8 fours. It was Bharat who held his nerves and hit a last-ball six off Avesh Khan to guide RCB to a thrilling win.
Delhi batters on the front
Coming to bat first, Delhi openers Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw handled the RCB bowlers well putting on an 88-run stand in 10 overs. Dhawan couldn’t continue more and was dismissed by Harshal Patel for a score of 43 runs. On the other end, Shaw was looking to score big but failed to get his half-century and lost his wicket to Yuzvendra Chahal for 48. Skipper Pant too fell after scoring just 10 runs. Shreyas Iyer and Shimron Hetmyer shared a crucial partnership of 35 runs. At the score of 142, Iyer lost his wicket and gave a simple catch to Daniel Christian on Mohammed Siraj's delivery. Hetmyer along with Ripal Patel helped Delhi get to 164 for 5.
All eyes on play-offs now
With the conclusion of the league stage, now both RCB and DC will have their eyes on the play-offs. RCB finishing at the third position will face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the eliminator on October 11 while DC will clash with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the first qualifier on October 8. Both the teams will be looking to win their maiden IPL trophy. Playoffs will begin from October 8 and will end with the final on October 15.
