Royal Challengers Bangalore post only the third 10-wicket win in IPL

Minutes before the Royal Challengers Bangalore began their campaign against Rajasthan Royals, the DJ inside the stadium played Black Eyed Peas’sTonight’s gonna be a good night. Those words proved to be prophetic for the home side as Anil Kumble’s men sent Shane Warne’s Royals packing without breaking a sweat.

At the Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Thursday night,RCB created magic as their bowlers came out with a power-packed performance. Jacques Kallis, Dale Steyn and Kumble were at their best but the hero of the night was Praveen Kumar, who registered the first hattrick of the league. The pacer’s 3 for 18 was icing on the cake for the Bangalore side which posted its second consecutive win. It was Royals’ third consecutive defeat this year.

Thanks to Praveen’s hattrick and Kumble’s 3-9, RCB bowled out Royals for 92, the lowest total this season. Then the Bangalore side knocked off the target in just over 10 overs, scoring the second fastest win (in terms balls left) in the IPL.

Praveen took his hattrick in the 17th over by running through the Royals’ middle order. The UP pacer first had Damein Martyn (bowled for 19), followed by Sumit Narwal (caught at fine leg for nought) and then Paras Dogra (bowled for 3). Kumble then wove a web around RR batsmen and claimed three wickets in 3.5 overs.

The Royals’ innings was hardly eventful with RCB bowlers keeping them under a tight leash. They were three down with just 38 on the board. Even Yusuf Pathan, barring a couple of sixes off pacer Vinay Kumar, could not do much. The high-point of their innings was a 37-run partnership between Pathan and Martyn for the fourth wicket. The innings failed to last 20 overs.
Chasing the small target, RCB openers Jacques Kallis and Manish Pandey went after the RR bowlers from the word go. They achieved the target in the 11th over.

There was little that the Royals’ skipper Warne could do as Kallis followed up his unbeaten 89 in the previous match with a scintillating 44 off 34 balls. Kallis unleashed a flurry of boundaries in the power play and most of his shots bore the stamp of class. Pandey, the highest run-getter in this year’s Ranji Trophy, lived up to the billing slamming an entertaining 32 that included seven boundaries and one six.

RCB will meet Mumbai Indians in Mumbai on Saturday.