RCB vs DC

That brings us to the end of our coverage for this encounter. A one-sided contest in the end with RCB continuing their winning run with a 47-run win against the Delhi Capitals. At the halfway stage, the Capitals would have been very happy to restrict RCB to a score under 190 but what transpired in the run chase was far from ideal for the Capitals. They lost four wickets in the powerplay and it was always going to be an uphill task from there on. Axar Patel waged a lone battle and scored a half century but that was nowhere close to being enough in the end. We are in the final stages of the tournament and every match is important now. The Gujarat Titans will square off against the Kolkata Knight Riders tomorrow. Another must-win game for GT. Do join us then and for many more sporting actions but for now, this is me (Arya Sekhar Chakraborty) and Pradeep signing off.

Cameron Green is the Player of the Match, here is what he had to say: Yeah, obviously a great game for our team. We have found some form in the last few games. Unfortunately, it wasn't there in the first half but we are still in with a chance. We had to come out and take early wickets. We knew the wicket wasn't that great so we had to bat according to the conditions. I think we identified that pace on was easier. Sometimes the dew takes it away, thankfully there wasn't any today. I think I have spend enough time in India in the last couple of years to get used to the conditions. There has been something for the bowlers this season in Chinnaswamy so that's not a bad thing to happen.

Faf du Plessis (Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain): We have put in some really good performances so that's very pleasing. It is just confidence. The first half of the tournament didn't go well for us and a couple of guys then started scoring regularly. Obviously the bowling department has stepped up. We failed to get wickets in the first half and now we are bowling out opposition's. It's just the feeling, sometimes people talk about match up. The match up wasn't great for Karn but as a left hander you have to go with the ball spinning in. Karn has been great for us. Axar batting through the middle would have been a little easier. I hope he gets a good crack in the next game. Yeah lot of work has gone in behind the scenes. That's the obvious things where the changes has happened. That for me is the shining light with the way the boys have bowled. Six or seven options. You access the conditions and you can pull the best options. The way Siraj has come back. Obviously proving a point. Yash has been brilliant and Lockie has also stepped up in the last few games. No both needs to have a full crack. We need to play a style of cricket which is bold. Still to be 60 of the powerplay on a pitch that wasn't too easy was a great achievement.

Lockie Ferguson (Royal Challengers Bengaluru): 100%, similar last game, throughout the innings, guys picking up wickets and all the hard work is paying off now. Even when we were having those losses, coaching staff, leadership were very even, we were enjoying ourselves and had good time, we knew if we had played to our potential, hopefully get on a roll and finish the tournament that way. Scores this tournament sort of all over it, the batters did extremely well tonight with the ball gripping and we struck early and made my job easier in the end. It's exciting, this part of the competition, it's nice to be in win or loss, and will be up against Chennai in few days. Obviously, it kept me challenging bowling here, but great working with Griffith, doing a lot of work and with this bowling units which picks up wicket, makes the job lot easier to me.

Axar Patel (Delhi Capitals captain): I thought, we dropped too many catches and if we had held on to it, we could've been chasing around 160 or 170 and we were always catching up from there. 160 or 170 was a par score with the ball not coming on to the bat, with the ball getting old, it was easy to hit. If your two players get run-out and lose four wickets in the powerplay, we were always behind the eight ball and were unlucky. Anything can happen, we haven't thought anything, we have to travel and see what happens.

Royal Challengers won by 47 runs

Rajat Patidar 52(32) | Yash Dayal 3/20(3.1)
Axar Patel 57(39) | Rasikh Salam Dar 2/23(3)

Royal Challengers Bengaluru keep their hopes alive in the 17th edition of the IPL, defeating the Delhi Capitals quite comprehensively by runs. The victory has made the table very interesting with the final group game for RCB becoming a virtual knockout against CSK. Even a win might not be enough to book a place in the playoffs but they managed to do the controllables so well in the last five matches. 

At the halfway stage it looked that RCB might have left 10-15 runs in the ground but how things transpired right from the word go, made it a pretty one sided contest in the end. David Warner in his comeback game was dismissed in the opening over of Swapnil Singh. Jake Fraser-McGurk came out all guns blazing yet again. He smashed a couple of fours and sixes each to announce his arrival before an unfortunate way brought about his downfall. 

Yash Dayal bagged the wicket of Abhishek Porel in his first over before getting a hand on the fierce drive from Shai Hope and caught Fraser-McGurk short of his ground. The charge from RCB continued as Mohammed Siraj then trapped Kumar Kushagra right in front of the stumps. At 30/4, the Capitals were staring down the barrel when the stand-in skipper Axar Patel joined Hope in the middle. 

The duo batted sensibly to start with and also found the boundaries to keep the scoreboard moving. Hope was dismissed after a 56 run partnership of a slower full toss from Lockie Ferguson. Tristan Stubbs came out at the fall of Hope's wicket and the way he had batted in the tournament, DC had their hopes very much alive. However it was a horrible mix up with his captain which cost him wicket as Green hunted down the stumps at the non-striker's end. 

Axar continued the good work and shared a good stand with Rasikh Salam to try and take the game deep. The boundaries had dried up and the pressure kept building. Axar Patel's dismissal in the 16th over was the final nail in the coffin for the Capitals. From there on, it was a formality of sorts and eventually Yash Dayal finished the match off by castling Kuldeep Yadav. Yash Dayal and Ferguson were the pick of the bowlers, bagging three and two wickets each.

Yash Dayal finishes it off in style and Royal Challengers Bengaluru continues their charge towards the latter half of the competition. Dayal hits the deck hard and Kuldeep unable to get ball on ball. This is DC's lowest total this season as they are virtually knocked out of the tournament due to their inferior net run rate. You don't often win too many games after losing four wickets in the powerplay and it turned out exactly in that manner. Axar Patel waged a lone battle with a brilliant partnership but it was too little too late as RCB registered a comprehensive 47 run win. RCB move to the 5th position and still in with a good chance or going through to the playoffs. 

19.1 Yash Dayal to Kuldeep Yadav, OUT! KNOCKED HIM OVER! Royal Challengers Bengaluru make it five in five and keep their playoffs alive! It has been a clinical win for RCB. Back of a length, angled in on the leg-stump. Kuldeep backing away misses, rattles the leg-stump. RCB will be up with CSK on May 18th in a virtual quarter final!

Kuldeep Yadav b Yash Dayal 6 (10b, 0x4, 0x6) 

That's the end of the 19th over and both teams are waiting for the game to end. It's been a sorry take for the Delhi Capitals and Rishabh Pant who was suspended for this game will be very disappointed at this outcome. Final over of the match coming up. 

18.5 Mohammed Siraj to Ishant Sharma, BEAUTY! Back of a length, jags back in sharply. Ishant with barely any footwork looks to defend, but cuts him in half instead.

18.4 Mohammed Siraj to Kuldeep Yadav, nails the yorker, right up in the blockhole. Kuldeep digs it out towards covers and they take the single.