New Delhi: Before the season began, a Royal Challengers Bengaluru player remarked on a podcast that Virat Kohli was looking the best he ever has – 2016 level, record-breaking good. It’s a long tournament and momentum can swing wildly over two and a half months, but on opening night, Kohli gave Chinnaswamy exactly what it came for: a grand, commanding welcome back.
The defending champions began their defence in commanding fashion, defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad by 6 wickets.
Chasing 202, Kohli did what he does best. At the other end, homeboy Devdutt Padikkal, back in RCB colours after being traded by Rajasthan Royals, came out firing, racing to 28 off just 10 balls and allowing Kohli to settle into his rhythm.
Fresh off an excellent domestic season where he led Karnataka to the Ranji Trophy final, Padikkal showcased the added gears in his game, bringing up a blistering fifty off 21 balls. RCB stormed to 73/1 in the powerplay, taking apart the Sunrisers Hyderabad attack with ease.
At one point, Kohli stunned with a shot. Eshan Malinga pitched one right in the slot, and Kohli simply waited for the ball to arrive before presenting the full face of the bat in a pristine lofted straight drive. Most batters would muscle it but Kohli merely extended into the shot and the gentle well-timed push sailed effortlessly over the bowler’s head.
In the very next over, Harshal Patel created a chance for SRH, but Heinrich Klaasen misjudged it at long-on. Instead of charging in, he stayed back on the boundary line, handing Kohli a reprieve on 28.
Padikkal departed for 61 off 26 balls, but it didn’t disrupt RCB’s chase. Captain Rajat Patidar raced to a 12-ball 31. David Payne struck twice, also dismissing Jitesh Sharma but with six wickets in hand, RCB had the chase under control.
Kohli brought up his 64th half century and took on Harshal Patel with a six and three consecutive boundaries to complete the chase with more than four overs to spare.
Duffy’s debut
Earlier, Jacob Duffy ensured RCB did not miss Josh Hazlewood too much, delivering a spell to remember on IPL debut. Bowling four overs on the trot, he rocked SRH early, removing the famed Travishek duo and Nitish Kumar Reddy in quick succession.
With Hazlewood still recovering from injury, Duffy, who was picked with the intention of being a like-for-like replacement for the Australian, the New Zealander made an immediate impact at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, a venue whose small boundaries often unsettle bowlers. Unfazed, he returned impressive figures of 3/22.
Abhishek Sharma’s lean run which began in the T20 World Cup continued. He hasn’t looked at his best in recent months and his IPL return started in disappointing fashion, as he was dismissed for 7, hurried by Duffy’s pace on a short ball.
Duffy struck twice in the over. Another short delivery saw Travis Head attempt a flat pull, only for Phil Salt to take a well-judged reverse-cup catch at deep backward square leg. Both destructive openers were back in the pavilion inside the powerplay.
Reddy then fell trying to go across the line, as his lack of footwork resulted in a top edge that was safely taken at mid-wicket. Inside the fifth over, SRH were reeling at 29/3.
However, what followed was an impressive recovery from SRH after the early damage. Initially two-paced with some spongy bounce, the pitch became better for strokeplay later on.
After leading Jharkhand to the Syed Muhtaq Ali Trophy title and playing a key role in India’s T20 World Cup triumph, Kishan marked his IPL captaincy debut with a blistering half-century off 27 balls.
He continued his strong run of form in recent months where he has batted on a different level, taking control and dominating the scoring in his partnership with a relatively subdued Heinrich Klaasen on the other end.
RCB’s other debutant, right-arm pacer Abhinandan Singh, was taken apart by the SRH captain, who welcomed him with 6, 4, 6 in his first over. Kishan was on song and it needed something special to dismiss Kishan and that’s exactly what followed. Salt produced a stunning one-handed catch at the point boundary. Chasing to his right, he plucked a full-blooded slice off a full toss that otherwise seemed destined for the ropes.
For much of the innings, it was a one-man show before MP batter Aniket Verma arrived in the death overs, showcasing his ball-striking ability, scoring 43 off 18.
Kishan finished with a superb 80 off 38 balls, while Verma applied the finishing touches with an equally electric 43 off 17, as Sunrisers Hyderabad posted 201/9 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on the opening night of the new season.
