IPL 2022: RCB’s Karthik goes boom-boom, spells doom for DC

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Dinesh Karthik’s 66 off 34 revived RCB from 92 for 5 to 189, which was enough to quell Delhi Capitals by 16 runs.

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Shared News: April 17, 2022 7:26:38 am
Dinesh Karthik of Royal Challengers Bangalore during the match against Delhi Capitals. (Photo by Deepak Malik / Sportzpics for IPL)

Dinesh Karthik produced another turnaround for Royal Challengers Bangalore, and a chase of 190 was beyond Delhi Capitals despite David Warner’s fifty as Josh Hazlewood came up with a three-wicket burst.

Maxwell v Kuldeep

This was DC’s first game of the season at Wankhede Stadium. On the larger square outfields at the Brabourne, DY Patil and Maharashtra Cricket Association stadiums, Kuldeep Yadav had had more leeway to toss the ball up and slow it down. He’d collected 10 wickets in four games at an average of 12.4 and an economy-rate of 7.75. But the smaller Wankhede turf was going to be a bigger challenge.

When Kuldeep was brought on in the ninth over, Maxwell had worked himself into some rhythm. And DC captain Rishabh Pant had taken the risk of giving Kuldeep the end from which Maxwell could eye the shorter boundary with the slog. And right away, Maxwell looted 23 runs off the over; two sixes and a four were swung to deep midwicket. Kuldeep tried to make Maxwell hit to the longer side, bowling full and wide, and Maxwell obliged with a driven four to deep extra cover.

Before Kuldeep came on, RCB were struggling on 47 for 3 after eight overs. Maxwell’s assault seemed to have switched the momentum in his side’s favour. Wiser after the storm, Kuldeep now changed ends. And the first ball, which was floated up full, Maxwell tamely chipped to long-on, instead of going full-blooded for another maximum. He had been kept to 55 off 34, and Kuldeep had had his revenge.

DK v DC

There are few sides that will be able to more than double their score after losing half the side for 92 by the 12th over. But RCB have already been rescued time and again by Dinesh Karthik this season, and the veteran keeper-batsman answered his side’s call for help once more.

Khaleel Ahmed, the DC left-arm seamer, hadn’t been hit for a single six going into Saturday night’s game. He was hit for two, both coming off Karthik’s bat. For the second one, a slower length ball, he actually bent his knee as if he was facing a spinner and slog-swept cleanly.

Heading into his last over, Mustafizur Rahman had given away just 20 runs. Batsmen had been unable to get underneath his full deliveries and had to be content with singles. But Karthik launched him wherever he pleased. There was a fine reverse-hit clear of short third man, and an authoritative swat that flew in the gap between mid-off and extra cover. Mustafizur went fuller to squeeze Karthik’s swinging space but that only made him hit straighter and farther, in an over that would end with a damage of 28 runs.

Shahbaz Ahmed has been an ideal partner to Karthik in his revival missions, and he contributed a vital 32 off 21, but the standout was undoubtedly Karthik with 66 off 34, his strike-rate close to 200. Kuldeep had another over left, and Pant used him for the last instead of turning to the available part-timer seamers Mitchell Marsh or Rovman Powell. The RCB duo finished on a high with 17 more in the 20th.

Warner, Pant exits decisive

David Warner was in the mood alright. He slogged Maxwell for six off the first ball he faced and picked up Josh Hazlewood’s first delivery for six more over deep backward square. A powerful straight smack off Mohammed Siraj disappeared so quickly to the rope that to call it dismissive was an understatement.
But DC were still behind the asking-rate going past the halfway mark. In at No 3 for his first game of the season, Mitchell Marsh drew out the momentum Warner injected at the other end, in a flail-and-miss 14 off 24 balls. Had he not been run out at the non-striker’s end as Wanindu Hasaranga got his fingers on a Pant hit, he may have hurt DC further. Or he may have scripted some astonishing turnaround. We’ll never know.

One of the decisive blows had been delivered in Hasaranga’s previous over, when Warner had missed an attempted reverse-slog and was found leg-before on RCB’s review. It made Virat Kohli jolt into one of his wild screaming celebrations, not far from the departing Warner.

As Pant began to nail his falling scoops over short fine, it was Kohli who’d land the knockout punch. As Pant scythed Siraj in the air, Kohli timed his jump perfectly at extra cover, his outstretched right hand plucking the ball and sending the crowd wild this time. With Pant’s exit for 34 off 17 in the 17th over, DC were to fall well short.

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