Glenn Maxwell's stroke-filled half-century helped Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) set a target of 190 for Rajasthan Royals (RR). The two sides squared off in the 32nd match of IPL 2023 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday, April 23.
After being asked to bat first, RCB found themselves in a tricky spot as they were reduced to 12/2 in 2.1 overs, with skipper Virat Kohli departing for a golden duck.
Glenn Maxwell walked into bat at the number 4 position and asserted his dominance straight away by hitting a flurry of boundaries to put the pressure back on RR bowlers after they got off to a great start. Faf du Plessis (62) played an ideal foil by scoring at a decent pace while rotating the strike regularly.
Maxwell was in excellent rhythm as he smashed big hits against both pacers and spinners with aplomb. He reached his third half-century of the season in 27 balls in the 10th over and continued his onslaught by racing 77 before Ravichandran Ashwin dismissed him in the 15th over. RCB eventually managed to reach 189/9 after 20 overs.
Bangalore fans were pleased to witness an aggressive knock from Maxwell when the team was in a precarious situation early in the first innings. They took to Twitter to laud him.
Here are some of the best reactions:
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"It's very much achievable for us"- RR pacer Trent Boult after RCB scored 189/9 in the first innings
Speaking during the mid-innings break, Trent Boult revealed that Rajasthan Royals did not concede too many runs and that the target was achievable for their powerful batting line-up.
He said:
"It's a good surface, it's a small ground and to keep them to 190, I think it's very much achievable for us, definitely got the power in the sheds, fingers crossed. It's always nice to go back to change room with the little bit of momentum on your side but they are classy side and there's plenty of home support on their back, it's not going to be an easy task but we've got the guys to get the job done."
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