News Analysis India

Tag: RCB

  • IPL 2021: Ravi Shastri hails ‘student’ Devdutt Padikkal, ‘master’ Virat Kohli’s performance in match against Rajasthan Royals

    By IANS
    MUMBAI: India head coach Ravi Shastri hailed Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal’s performance in Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) 10-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.

    “The student and the master at work. Fabulous viewing. These Southpaws make it look easy – @devdpd07 @imVkohli @RCBTweets #RCBvsRR #IPL2021,” Shastri tweeted.

    Padikkal, who scored his maiden IPL century, put up an unbeaten 181-run opening stand with Kohli to help RCB win the match on Wednesday with nearly four overs remaining.

    Padikkal scored 101 off just 52 balls, hitting 11 fours and six sixes. Kohli played second fiddle until the 10th over, looking to rotate strike more than hitting boundaries.

    He took off after the 10th over, however, and ended the match unbeaten on 72 off 47 balls.

  • Will carry forward confidence gained playing Test cricket in IPL: RCB spinner Washington Sundar

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: India and Royal Challengers Bangalore off-spinner Washington Sundar on Wednesday said he will carry forward the confidence and self-belief he gained while playing Test cricket into the ongoing Indian Premier League.

    Washington made his Test debut earlier this year against Australia in Brisbane.

    He scored a fluent 62 and snared three wickets in the first innings.

    In the second essay, he played a game-changing 22 on the final day to help India seal a memorable victory.

    “I think performing well in the Test cricket definitely boosts a lot of confidence for any cricketer,” Washington said at the virtual product launch of the “Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro.”

    “And getting to play Test cricket at the highest level for the Indian cricket team, which has been really doing well, especially in the last few years is a dream come true moment for any youngster and that has happened to me,” he added.

    The 21-year-old was also a part of the Indian Test side that defeated England 3-1 last month.

    “We played against two top quality sides — Australia and England. Performing against them and winning games against them gave me a lot of confidence and self belief.

    “So, yes that confidence I will definitely take it forward and also the momentum I would really love to take forward throughout the IPL and the games to come,” he added.

    Talking about the IPL, which is being held behind closed doors for a second successive edition, Washington said: “It has been two years now.

    The last IPL was also played behind closed doors.

    “I think we are very much used to it, though we would love to have a lot of crowd supporting us and I know the kind of energy crowds bring in for every game is amazing.

    “But given the scenario, we are happy that we could play cricket,” he signed off.

  • AB de Villiers is best in the business towards backend of an innings: RCB coach Simon Katich

    By ANI
    CHENNAI: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) head coach Simon Katich was all praise for AB de Villiers, saying that the Proteas star is the best in the business when it comes to batting towards the backend of an innings.

    Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers’ knocks of 78 and 76 were backed up a spirited bowling performance as Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) defeated Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 38 runs on Sunday here at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

    “Boys were magnificent today, we had a tough start but the way he fought back with that partnership between Glenn Maxwell and Devdutt Padikkal got us into a position there from where we could get the score we got. At 9/2, no one would have thought we would score above 200. Maxwell and Padikkal deserve a lot of credit for setting up the platform and then AB, that was special knock as well,” said Katich in a video posted on the official Twitter handle of RCB.

    “In terms of T20 batting, we were treated to two masterclasses from Maxwell and ABD. Young Padikkal’s innings should not go unmentioned because that partnership between him and Maxwell gave us momentum in the innings and it put pressure on KKR,” he added.

    Earlier, RCB might have been 9/2 in the second over, but Maxwell and de Villiers’ knocks of 78 and 76 ensured that the side posts a total of 204/4 in the allotted twenty overs.

    Along with Maxwell and de Villiers, Devdutt Padikkal and Kyle Jamieson also played knocks of 25 and 11 respectively. For KKR, Varun Chakravarthy returned with two wickets.

    “We know that ABD is the best in the business in the backend and we have seen here in Chennai, a lot of teams have struggled at the backend and that is something we have done really well in these three games on the back of him and Maxwell. That can be the difference between winning and losing games,” said Katich.

    RCB will next take on Rajasthan Royals on Thursday here at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

  • Enjoy playing with Glenn Maxwell, we both want to have an impact: RCB batsman AB de Villiers

    By ANI
    CHENNAI: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batsman AB de Villiers has said that he enjoys playing with Glenn Maxwell as both of them are similar kind of players who always want to leave an impact in the game.

    Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers’ knocks of 78 and 76 were backed up a spirited bowling performance as Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) defeated Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 38 runs on Sunday here at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

    “I have worked really hard in the last few months. I did not expect to be playing really good cricket at the moment but I am very happy, I always give my best shot when I play for RCB. It was a very hot day, we lost couple of wickets early but I am very happy that we came through. I laid out a good foundation and then their leg-spinner (Varun Chakravarthy) came on, I sensed he was bowling defensively and I realised that was my moment. When Russell came on, he was stuck with wide deliveries, I opened up and it put him under pressure,” AB de Villiers told Yuzvendra Chahal in a video posted on the official website of IPL.

    “When I came out to bat, I realised Maxwell was tired and he told me that he does not want to run much. To be honest, we enjoy playing together. We are similar players with a lot of energy and we love having an impact for the team. When I came out to bat, the thought was to get a base together and get a partnership going. I knew if we get a partnership, we will sense a weakness somewhere which we did,” he added.

    Andre Russell played a knock of 31 runs for KKR, but in the end, RCB managed to hold on to record their third victory in a row this season. This is the first time that RCB has managed to win their first three games in an IPL season.

    Earlier, RCB might have been 9/2 in the second over, but Maxwell and de Villiers’ knocks of 78 and 76 ensured that the side posts a total of 204/4 in the allotted twenty overs.

    Along with Maxwell and de Villiers, Devdutt Padikkal and Kyle Jamieson also played knocks of 25 and 11 respectively. For KKR, Varun Chakravarthy returned with two wickets.

  • AB de Villiers, Glenn Maxwell power RCB to 204/4 against KKR

    By PTI
    CHENNAI: AB de Villiers’ master class and Glenn Maxwell’s counter-attacking half-century propelled Royal Challengers Bangalore to an imposing 204 for four against Kolkata Knight Riders in their IPL match, here on Sunday.

    RCB scored 56 runs in the last three overs, including 21 in the final six deliveries, to set KKR a stiff target after electing to bat.

    De Villiers blazed away to 76 off 34 balls with the help of nine fours and three sixes, while Maxwell made 78 off 49.

    The Australian too hit nine boundaries and three sixes.

    The Knight Riders were off to a brilliant start with leg-break bowler Varun Chakravarthy leaving RCB in early trouble at 9/2 with the big wickets of skipper Virat Kohli (5) and Rajat Patidar (1) in the second over.

    Opening the bowling for KKR, veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh bowled a tight line and length to stifle the RCB batsmen in his first two overs.

    After Chakravarthy lured Kohli to go over cover with a tossed-up delivery that drifted away from the right-hander, Rahul Tripathi pulled off a sensational catch running back from extra-cover.

    The top batsman was nowhere close to the ball.

    Chakravarthy then went through the defence of Patidar with one that darted back on landing.

    Mixing aggression with caution, Maxwell and Devdutt Padikkal (25) revived the RCB innings after the early blows at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

    While the young Indian seemed content playing the second fiddle, the swashbuckling Australian counter-attacked in fine fashion and played the big shots with consummate ease.

    The in-form Maxwell upped the ante when he cleared his front leg to plonk Shakib Al Hasan over long-on for his first maximum in the sixth over.

    The one bowled by Shakib turned out to be a productive over for RCB as they got 17 runs off it.

    After reaching 45 for two at the end of the six powerplay overs, Maxwell shifted gears and raced to his half-century in just 28 balls.

    Even Chakravarthy, who was on fire some time ago, was not spared by Maxwell as he smashed him for a six and four off successive balls.

    Prasidh Krishna ended the third-wicket partnership of 86 runs by sending back Padikkal, which signalled the arrival of De Villiers in the middle.

    Joining forces, the dazzling duo of Maxwell and De Villiers did not allow the KKR bowlers to settle into any sort of rhythm until premier pacer Pat Cummins ended their 53-run association.

    After that, the show belonged to De Villiers as he toyed with KKR bowlers.

  • Glenn Maxwell might just end up being player of IPL 2021: Former England skipper Michael Vaughan

    By ANI
    CHENNAI: Former England skipper Michael Vaughan feels Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell might end up as the player of the tournament in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021.

    Maxwell might have a bad season last year in the 13th edition of the IPL but the Royal Challengers Banglore (RCB) batsman has been in sensational form.

    In Chennai, where most of the batsmen have struggled to get going, Maxwell has come out firing on all cylinders. In the ongoing match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Varun Chakravarthy had put RCB on the back foot with two wickets in the second over but Maxwell fired a sensational half-century to put the Virat Kohli-led side on top.

    “Love watching @Gmaxi_32Bat. He might just end up being the player of the tournament .. slightly under the radar in the same team as @imVkohli& @ABdeVilliers17!!! @RCBTweets looking the strongest I have seen them … #IPL2021,” Vaughan tweeted.

    Kohli and Rajat Patidar both went for a single-digit score but the Australian all-rounder made sure RCB were right on track after the early blows.

    Maxwell is also the leading run-scorer in the ongoing tournament and has been a standout performer for RCB in this year’s IPL.

    Earlier, RCB won the toss and opted to bat against KKR here at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

    RCB made one change to their lineup as the side brought in Rajat in place of Daniel Christian. On the other hand, KKR did not make any change to their playing XI from the last game.

    RCB has won both its opening two games this season while KKR have managed to win one game and lose another.

  • Royal Challengers Bangalore win toss, opt to bat against Kolkata Knight Riders

    By ANI
    CHENNAI: Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Sunday won the toss and opted to bat against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) here at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

    At the time of the toss, RCB skipper Kohli said: “We will bat first, the pitch will become slower and slower as the game goes on, but this surface looks better, want to put up a decent total player. We are playing three overseas players – Dan Christian misses out, Rajat Patidar is in. We just want to do a professional job, do the process right, take one game at a time and enjoy -keep calm under pressure.”

    RCB made one change to their lineup as the side brought in Rajat Patidar in place of Daniel Christian. On the other hand, KKR did not make any change to their playing XI from the last game.

    RCB has won both its opening two games this season while KKR has managed to win one game and lose another.

    KKR Playing XI: Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan, Shakib Al Hasan, Dinesh Karthik, Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Harbhajan Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Prasidh Krishna

    RCB Playing XI: Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli (c), Shahbaz Ahmed, AB de Villiers, Glenn Maxwell, Kyle Jamieson, Rajat Patidar, Washington Sundar, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal

  • IPL 2021: Daniel Sams joins RCB bio-bubble after recovering from COVID-19

    By PTI
    CHENNAI: Australian all-rounder Daniel Sams on Saturday joined the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s bio-bubble after returning with two negative RT-PCR results more than a week after testing positive for COVID-19.

    The 28-year-old had arrived in India on April 3 with a negative COVID-19 report but tested positive during the second test on April 7 and was in quarantine since then.

    “We are pleased to inform that Royal Challengers Bangalore, all-rounder Daniel Sams, has joined the RCB bio-bubble on 17th April 2021 with negative reports for COVID-19,” RCB said in a statement.

    Daniel Sams is out of quarantine and has joined the RCB bio-bubble today with two consecutive negative reports for COVID-19.RCB medical team was in constant touch with Sams and has declared him fit to join the team after adhering to all the BCCI protocols.#PlayBold #IPL2021 pic.twitter.com/0none9RQ7l
    — Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) April 17, 2021

    “RCB medical team was in constant touch with Sams to ensure his safety and declared him fit to join the team after all the required examinations as part of the BCCI protocols.”

    Sams, who was traded to the RCB this season from Delhi Capitals, is the second player of the franchise to recover from COVID-19.

    Opener Devdutt Padikkal, who was the highest run-scorer for RCB last season with 473 runs from 15 matches, had earlier recovered from the dreaded disease and joined the team after returning negative.

    While Sams missed the first two matches, Padikkal was back in action in RCB’s second IPL game against Sunrisers Hyderabad, which the team won by six runs.

    RCB are on top of the points table with two wins and will face Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday during tournament’s first double header.

  • Rajat Patidar is a very promising talent: RCB batsman AB de Villiers

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) star batsman AB de Villiers said that Rajat Patidar is a promising talent and natural striker of the ball.

    De Villiers is excited to see Patidar, who made his IPL debut in the season opener against Mumbai Indians, in the ongoing season. The right-handed batsman scored just eight runs and failed to find an opportunity in the playing XI against SunRisers Hyderabad. RCB has won both the games in the season so far.

    “Rajat made his debut other night. I have not seen him playing big innings in the game yet. I watched him in the nets yesterday. Very promising talent, I think he looks calm at the wicket and is a very natural ball striker. It’s gonna be exciting to watch him come through this season. If I have any influence whatsoever it would be great. I think he is gonna have good IPL. I’m excited to see what’s to come,” the wicketkeeper-batsman said in a video posted on RCB’s official Twitter handle.

    When asked how tough his job to keep wickets is, the former Proteas skipper said, “It is tough to start, it is one of the hardest things is the wicket-keeping and preparing for the games. 120 balls in and out, it is intense but it is not the one that kills you it’s the build. Trying to take a lot of balls and trying to imitate what I’m going to do in the game at the training session.

    “And then I’m a character who really enjoys to push myself. I really enjoy to knuckle down and take as many balls as I can. Do the drills, do the hard yards and then things are much easier in the game time than the other way around rather,” he added.

    De Villiers further said it is special to have his family with him for the IPL.

    “It is obviously the first time all five of us are here. It is not something that comes easy, it is not easy to have five people in one room. It’s chaos but it brings a different touch to the IPL for me. It definitely makes it special when I looked up the other night seeing the kids in the stands. Incredibly special,” he concluded.

    RCB will next play against Kolkata Knight Riders at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday.

  • Consistently succeeding helps build winning culture, feels RCB batsman AB de Villiers

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman AB de Villiers has said consistency and sustainability of the batting unit is the key if the side wants to develop the winning culture. The Virat Kohli-led side won both the games of the season so far. First with the bat against Mumbai Indians and the second one while defending 150 runs against SunRisers Hyderabad.

    “I think we have started something where we as a batting unit sort of felt something special and now the consistency and sustainability of that is important. If we do it two or three times we will start believing that. We almost can’t fail that’s the kind of position you want to be as a batting unit and as a team.

    “You want to get into the winning culture where you feel like what if I don’t do it he is going to do it. If he doesn’t do it then I’m doing it. You get this beautiful flow going in the team. We are few games away from that hopefully, we will keep going with the momentum,” de Villiers said in a video posted by RCB on their official Twitter handle.

    When asked if having experienced players in the squad helps the youngsters, the former Proteas skipper replied: “It helps everyone to know that there is a couple of experienced heads around. That’s always a nice feeling. Guys whether they are in good form or bad form they find a way to cross the line more often than not. Down the order as well a couple of guys who need some big balls even Harshal finished the game the other night.”

    During England’s tour of India, Kohli reached out to de Villiers, who revealed the conversation between them. “I don’t want to say. It’s embarrassing. I think I mentioned four points. We spoke about a couple of things away from the game and then also a couple of technical things but it was very basic.

    “I have been wanting to tell him for quite a while, I was watching him for a few months looking like he was quite intense — at the crease, with his whole game. So, I really wasn’t surprised when I saw the message and I knew immediately that all he needs to hear is the basic stuff,” he added.

    De Villiers went to take his phone out of pocket to read the text he sent to Kohli. “Four points — see the ball, still head, allow the ball to come into your space, body language, and attitude. And then we sort of elaborated around those four points,” De Villiers added.