IPL 2017: Royal Challengers Bangalore Vs Rising Pune Supergiant, 5 talking points

#2 Pune’s top order helps middle order play freely

Rahane looked in sublime form during his 25-ball 30

The visitors must have hoped to get close to 200, the average score at the Chinnaswamy since 2016. And openers Ajinkya Rahane (30) and Rahul Tripathi (31) began the innings well, scoring 17 runs off Adam Milne in the third over en route to a solid 63-run stand by the eighth over. Rahane was in sublime touch hitting five boundaries during his 25-ball stay. However, he was castled by Samuel Badree for 30.

Tripathi, meanwhile, managed to hit well, scoring 31 off 23 balls, but a great one-handed diving catch RCB skipper Virat Kohli reduced RPS to 68 for 2. Still, Steve Smith, followed by MS Dhoni freely went for their shots and took RPS to 127 by the 16th over.