IPL 6: RCB vs PWI: Heroes of the day

The match yesterday between RCB and PWI turned out to be a fantastic nail biter. The batsmen from both teams ridiculed history which said that Pune is a low-scoring venue. It was a run-scoring festival out there, and the fans truly got a treat worth their money. In the end, it was the Royal Challengers who held their nerve, and won the game, much thanks to some good bowling and tremendous effort by the fielders under pressure. Here are some players who had a huge impact on the proceedings of this match.

1) AB De Villiers : (50* off 23 deliveries)

His innings today can be easily placed among the top 3 cameos in this season. The reason for this is the way he paced that innings. He is one of those players who is blessed with an excellent ability to time the ball, as well as hit it with full power. Although many players across the world now play cheeky strokes, the success rate he possesses with those is just incredible. I cannot recall a single time he has actually missed the reverse paddle sweep or the paddle sweep. He literally hit Dinda all around the park for 26 runs off the last over, which gave RCB the advantage of setting the asking rate to exceed 9 per over. He also swept Dinda over extra cover for a six, which showed his ability to use the crease well as that ball bowled was in excess of 135 kmph.

2) Murali Kartik : (4-0-27-2)

He once again used all his experience today. He seemed to have understood the pitch very well and bowled in the right areas initially, putting pressure on the PWI top order. Although he took a bit of bashing from Uthappa in his 3rd over, he came back exceptionally well in the 4th, picking up key wickets of Uthappa and Nayar in the same over. This was definitely the turning point in the match, as PWI were cruising along with Uthappa smashing bowlers all over the park. Also, he bowled with an economy rate of less than 7 when the asking rate was in excess of 9, which was a big plus for the visitors.

3) Moises Henriques : (27* off 13 deliveries ) AND (4-0-44-1)

Played brilliantly with the bat and picked up the key wicket of Aaron Finch today, did Moises Henriques. Although he was expensive while bowling, his stand with AB De Villiers certainly helped the RCB put up a mammoth total on board. He struck the ball quite brilliantly today, and showed why he can be one of Australia’s best players in the future. His flat straight six was the best among all of them. RCB need him to strike similarly with the bat and ball, as they do not have many premier all-rounders like him in the team.

4) Robin Uthappa : (75 off 45 deliveries)

We finally got to see the exquisite sixes that Robin Uthappa has been known for. Ironically, this innings came against the team for which he has hit most of them earlier. He looked in sublime touch today, and was striking the ball beautifully, exhibiting some fantastic timing. One could only wonder where this form had disappeared. It was really unfortunate that no one really supported him till Angelo Mathews, which may have forced him to slow his game down in the initial ten overs. The fall of his wicket announced the fall of PWI in the match.

5) Vinay Kumar : (4-0-31-3)

Vinay Kumar has certainly proved that he is one of the most improved bowlers in the IPL this season. The medium-pacer bowled relatively fuller and wicket-to-wicket today, as opposed to the previous game where he was too short at times. He picked up Yuvraj Singh and Steve Smith in the same over, which put tremendous pressure on Pune when the asking rate was on acclivity. Yuvraj Singh was looking very dangerous, and his stay for a couple of more overs would have almost ended RCB’s chances of winning the game.