The Delhi Daredevils tried their best to stop the Royal Challengers Bangalore from progressing into the last four of the IPL, with some outstanding batting, but failed. The match was abandoned due to rain. But, you have to give it to RCB for displaying great character throughout the league stages.
Last few years, they been the most explosive team, but luck always eluded them when it mattered the most. This abandoned encounter against Delhi, rain denied RCB a chance to clinch second spot in the points table.
Delhi did very well to make 187 for five, but rain came at time when RCB had just started their chase. Like their previous match against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, they were looking desperate to win this challenge as well. But their innings couldn’t go beyond the second over.
However, RCB were lucky this season. They fought against all odds, including bad weather to make it to the IPL playoffs. It was a super batting display from stars like Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers, who contributed massively. Even captain Virat Kohli, batting at top of the order, made a plenty of difference.
But the biggest factor, which contributed towards RCB’s success, was the presence of Aussie pacer Mitchell Starc. He was just superb in almost all the matches that he played. Starc was fast, straight and kept the opposition guessing all the time. He also rubbed his confidence level to rest of the bowling department.
Then, there are a few domestic talents like Mandeep Singh and Sarfaraz Khan, who showed great attitude in tense situations. The mistake, which the RCB management made last year by keeping the middle-order big hitters for the later stages of the innings, wasn’t repeated this year. Kohli himself played a big role in making those changes in their approach.
RCB are so strong this year that even a quality allrounder like Darren Sammy couldn’t make it to the playing XI. He was mostly warming the bench, as the team couldn’t accommodate the winning West Indies captain of the World T20. They have indeed proved a point this year!
