RCB players celebrate after taking the wicket of PBKS. (Image credit: IPL)
Dharamsala: It is often advised to hold your breath at higher altitudes where the air becomes thinner. But that doesn’t apply when you have super motivation and super energy. Virat Kohli Take your team to greater heights. In the hills of Dharamsala on Sunday afternoon, Royal Challengers Bengaluru cruised into the play-offs with a clinical 23-run win, leaving the Punjab Kings holding their breath for IPL survival. Go beyond limits with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!Kohli, forever in pursuit of excellence, set a tone for his team that no regular captain had. Rajat Patidar due to injury. Kohli’s energy can be contagious to his teammates and a powerful presence can wear down the opposition mentally. The script went exactly as Kohli wanted. His 58 in 37 may not come across as a brilliant performance on paper. Still, that knock was the foundation of Devdutt Padikal’s 25-ball 45. Venkatesh IyerAn unbeaten 73 off 40 balls as RCB posted 222/4. Bhuvneshwar Kumar Maintained the pace with another skilful spell with the new ball to expose the technical frailties of the modern T20 opener. By dismissing the lethal opening pair of Priyansh Arya and Prabhasmaran Singh in the first three overs of the chase, Bhuvneshwar put a damper on the Punjab Kings’ chase. Soon, skipper Shreyas Iyer’s defensive technique was exposed by Rasukh Salam Dar’s soft outswinger and the chase began at 19/3 in the fourth over. Kohli never let the pace drop during his stay at the crease, dynamically encouraging his batting partners. The fist bumps felt harder. Staring repeatedly in the eyes of the bowlers was terrifying. Sledging Kings’ best bowler Harpreet Brar was an exemplary mind game. And then there was the swagger around the field and the rockets from the outfield, as Shashank Singh and Marcus Stoinis briefly threatened to script a spectacular comeback, sending a clear message to their team and opponents — there could be no shortage on the day. Kohli and RCB came with a clear objective – to become the first team to make it to the last four in the competition. That’s what champion teams do. They play to dominate. This is exactly what Iyer’s Punjab Kings failed to do when they looked invincible halfway through the tournament. It is also worth noting that a campaign that looked like a walk in the park for the Kings suddenly turned into mud. The number is on the game for Punjab Kings with one match remaining after six straight defeats. By the end of the RCB innings, the Punjab Kings fielders appeared like dead bees as the ball flew past the boundary with little resistance. In the 40-over game, RCB showed how they have only grown as defending champions. The big names stepped up and let the little guys fly. Iyer and Pedicle looked to be hitting mere sixes as Kohli held on tight to one end. Bhuvneshwar and Josh Hazlewood bowled exceptional overs as the Punjab Kings thought they had gained some momentum through Shashank’s 27-ball 56-run attack, leaving youngster Rashikh for 33 in the final over.
