KXIP vs RCB was much more than a league match.

There was a bit of story associated with this context.

KL Rahul in his formative years of IPL had been mentored by Virat Kohli. Rahul’s first stint in the IPL came
with Sunrisers Hyderabad, which was a pretty unsuccessful one. He got drafted to Banaglore, and Kohli
gave him the responsibility to bat in the top 4, giving him the opportunity to succeed at the top of the
order. Then, in one of the many blunders of RCB in the auction, they let Rahul go to KXIP. KL performed
exceptionally for Punjab for the next 2 years and was finally handed the mettle of leadership. So, its KL
going up against his mentor Kohli, for the first time, as an opposition leader.

RCB won the toss and chose to field, which turned to be a blessing in disguise for Kings XI. KL Rahul was
a bit rusty last match, with his slow footwork and delayed reaction on short deliveries. Having batted
second, the scoreboard pressure got to him and he perished early in the pursuit of the target. However,
today, owing to losing the toss, captain KL came out to bat with no pressure on his mind. He took his
time initially at a stike rate of 120-130, to settle himself into the match environment. The rust was still
there at the beginning of the innings and at times, he was slow to react to both Saini and Umesh.

Instead of feeling the pressure, he ran hard between the wickets, kept the scoreboard ticking alongside
Mayank. They forged an excelelnt half century partnership, after which Mayank was dismissed by the
wily Chahal. It is evident now, that Chahal has worked on his googly in the lockdown, as deceiving
players like Mayank and Vijay Shankar with the googly is no mean feat. Chahal enhancing his bowling
arsenal is indeed excellent news for Indian cricket.

Kudos to KL Rahul for his captaincy here. Nicholas Pooran scored 2 ducks in the last match. But Rahul
believed that he is a gun player and backed him to bat at 3 today. This is what great captrains do-back
their best players to bat higher up the order and face the maximum deliveries, even if they are out of
form. (DK take a note here) Pooran did not score much, but he forged a very important partnership with
Rahul in the middle overs. Also, Pooran was seen to be adjusting to the pace of the UAE pitch, it is given
that, sooner or later he will repay his captain’s trust on him big time.

However, that being said, the Punjab innings wa sthe KL Rahul show. Pooran, Maxwell and Nai sneaked
in with cameos but it was increasingly about King KL. Having made a slow start, by his standards, he
reached his half century and slowly started opening up post the 17 th over. It is such a satisfying thing to
see KL time the ball. Gradually his beautiful aerial whips over mid wicket came back- one of his signature
shots that he was unable to time last match. The six over extra cover was the official sign that the KXIP
captain has got back his pre-lockdown exquisite form with the bat. Rahul scored a serene century,
perhaps one that will go down in IPL history, as one of the best innings.

RCB paid dearly for their long standing death bowling woes. Last match, they did not have a set SRH
batsman going into the death overs and that’s why it was not much of a challenge for Saini and Steyn.
However, today KL ensured that the weak death bowling of RCB is exploited to good effect, as he
launched Steyn, Dube and Saini all over the ground. Fielders also have bad days and hence, RCB fans-
don’t read much into the 2 Kohli drop catches.

Its fair to say that RCB lost the match in the first 3 overs. In a chase over 200, Virat Kohli has to fire.
There is no second thought about that. Yes De Villiers is a legend in his own right, but his powers are
waning and he simply doesn’t have the tenacity to anchor a 200 run chase for his side. So, the key
wicket for Punjab, was always Virat’s and he was removed in the 3 rd over itself, courtesy an impatient
pull from the champion batsman. This was actually much similar to his dismissal in the 2015 WC
semifinal, which was another high pressure chase for India.

There is indeed not much to talk about RCB batting today. Once, they were 6 for 3, their body language
displayed that they were just playing to reduce the margin for defeat.

RCB is already going through some serious selection woes. The issues were there in the last match as
well, but SRH’s horrific selection issues ensured that RCB’s weakness was never detected. Without being
too harsh it can be said, Joshua Philipe is a waste of a a player in these slow low UAE pitches. Yes, it has
only been 2 matches, but Philipe has clearly shown signs of uneasiness in the times he has spent on the
crease. There are 2 option to counter that. Either Kohli brings in Moeen Ali, who is a much better
batsman in these conditions and gives RCB an extra bowling option as well. The other option is that, RCB
bring in Parthiv Patel to replace Phillipe and solve their death bowling issues by selecting Isuru Udana
instead of Umesh. The left hander, with his off cutters can be apotent option on these slowish tracks.

Since, there is not much to talk about RCB’s batting, KXIP’s bowling is a good point to discuss. Young
Bishnoi is improving by the day and it will be no surpirse if he becomes a contender for the Emerging
pLayer of the Tournament award. Foxing batsmen like Finch is a proud moment for any young spinner
and Bishnoi has shown that he has the ability to pick up big wickets like these. Sheldon Cottrell bowled
much better length in the powerplay, today and KL will be a very happy leader if Shamia nd Cottrell both
strike form like today, going forward.

There are some issues with KXIP selection as well. Just like RCB’s mistakes were overshadowed by SRH
last night, KXIp’s mistakes were superceded by RCB tonight. Rahul’s men still do not have a death bowler
at their disposal. Neesham is not a bowler, you can bank on, in the death. Cottrell and Shami are the
dedicated powerplay bowlers and Cottrell proved to be expensive at the death. At some point of time,
Keemo Paul needs to come in place of Neesham, to become that potent death bowling optiona and I
really hope, Kumble and Rahul make that change to the team, before they repent their mistake.