‘Ee Saala Cup Naamde’ remains an unfulfilled dream for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) after Rajasthan Royals (RR) put a break to their 6-match winless streak in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Chasing 172 at Narendra Modi Stadium on Wednesday, Sanju Samson & Co registered a 4-wicket in the Eliminator to knock RCB out of the tournament. While Bengaluru head back home, the Royals will fly to Chennai where they face a battered and bruised Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Qualifier 2 on Friday at Chepauk.
Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Yashasvi Jaiswal set the tone for RR in the tricky chase of 173. Unlike RCB’s nervy start, it was raining boundaries at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Rajasthan’s left-right opening combo choked the Bengaluru pacers and a couple of dropped chances off Yash Dayal’s bowling added to their woes. But Lockie Ferguson’s timely entry broke the 46-run stand as the Kiwi pacer’s slower Yorker castled Cadmore for 20 off 15.
Dinesh Karthik’s presence of mind and lightning-fast glovework caused some severe damage to the Royals. Convincing Faf for a DRS call in the 10th over was spontaneous from Karthik as it forced the on-field umpire to overturn his decision. Jaiswal had shuffled away to ramp Cameron Green’s length ball but missed it. Spikes on the UltraEdge confirmed that the ball had brushed his gloves before Karthik pouched it.
A few deliveries later, the veteran keeper helped Karn Sharma dismiss Sanju Samson. The Royals skipper had danced down the track early, allowing Sharma to spin the ball away from the stump while Karthik turned it into an easy stumping opportunity.
With pressure mounting up, the Royals wanted another solid partnership and that was when Riyan Parag got the much-needed company of comeback man Shimron Hetmyer. They found a passage to attack Green and Dayal, collecting 28 runs in their two overs. Though Siraj sent both the set batters packing in the same over, it was too late by then for the RCB to save the game.
Another game, another technical flaw and either side making merry. The first innings saw Dinesh Karthik surviving an LBW DRS call as third umpire Anil Chaudhary erroneously overturned a correct on-field decision. Replays showed a spike on UltraEdge when the ball moved past the bat. It seemed like the bat had hit the pad but the TV umpire was convinced otherwise, asking his colleague on the field to overturn his decision. The incident left the RR camp fuming and sparked a massive social media uproar.
(With inputs from agencies)
