Live Report - Patidar, bowlers keep RCB in playoffs contention

Dayal capped off his impressive outing by knocking Kuldeep over as RCB brought up their fifth win on the trot to stay in contention of a playoffs spot. Dayal finished with three wickets while Lockie Ferguson chipped in with a couple. DC could never recover from their setback in the powerplay, where they lost four wickets.

Their bowlers had done well to restrict RCB to under 200 after a 88-run stand between Patidar and Jacks. But RCB never let them get a sniff with an inspired bowling display.

The result means both RCB and DC are on 12 points but the hosts leapfrogged the tourists on the points table, thanks to a positive net run rate.

Bowls a full ball outside off, Axar loses shape in looking to heave it over the off side. Gets a top edge over backward point, from where du Plessis runs back and takes it with a tumble. DC are 128 for 8

Axar walked in to bat in the fourth over and has kept DC in the hunt. This has been a productive season for Axar the batter, and in his first IPL match as captain, he has shown his mettle again. He slog-swept Karn for a six before book-ending Jacks' first over to bring up his fifty off just 30 balls. He scored his IPL best of 66 against SRH in Delhi. DC 116 for 6 after 13

RCB have come out with a proper plan against the hard-hitting DC batters. For starters, they have bowled just the two overs of spin - one each from Swapnil and Karn. And since the start of the seventh over, the fast bowlers have consciously tried to hit hard lengths to deny DC batters the room to swing their bat.

Which is why Hope could not resist going after a full toss from Ferguson. Turns out it was a slower one and he only toe-ended it towards deep midwicket. And then Green managed to nail a direct hit at the bowler's end after a miscommunication between Axar and Stubbs.

Their 11 balls on a length, between the seventh and the 11th over, went for just 10.

DC are 90 for 6 after 11, need 98 more

Each of Swapnil, Dayal and Siraj has a wicket. Fraser-McGurk was run-out. RCB had picked up four wickets against SRH, too, but had given away 62 then. DC are 54 for 4 after six overs today

Fraser-McGurk hits a six and a couple of fours off Mohammed Siraj's first over, the second of the chase. But he falls in the most unfortunate way in the next over. Hope drills one straight back. Yash Dayal, in his follow-through, gets a finger on it and it crashes onto the stumps at the other end with JFM out of his crease.

This was after Dayal bounced Abishek Porel off his first ball of the match.

DC are 24 for 3 off 2.2 overs

No batter, who has faced at least 30 balls of spin this season, strikes at a higher rate than Fraser-McGurk. And he got off the mark with a hugggeeeee hit off Swapnil Singh. But the left-arm spinner managed to have David Warner caught at deep midwicket for a brief stay upon return from injury. DC 9 for 1 after the first over

DC have been the most expensive side (eco. 13.43) at the death. But today, they have only given away 40 runs in the last four overs and picked up five wickets. Which means RCB have been restricted to 187 for 9. This is the second-highest total at M Chinnaswamy batting first in IPL 2024. LSG had managed to successfully defend 181 for 5 here last month.

RCB's innings was mainly about the partnership between Patidar and Jacks. Since his move to No. 4, Patidar has found a way to be consistent and it was his fourth fifty in his last five games. Can RCB manage to defend this or will DC deal the knockout blow on the hosts?

Kuldeep's last over went for 22, thanks to two sixes hit by Green and one my Lomror. He bowled right in the batters' slot and was punished. He finished with 1 for 52 off his four overs, and it is the second time he has gone for over fifty runs after the 4 for 55 vs SRH.

Khaleel Ahmed then strikes twice in three balls - including Karthik for a two-ball duck - to leave RCB reeling at 174 for 6 after 18.

In the middle overs (7-16) in IPL 2024, Capitals have picked up 40 wickets at an average of 27.90 - both those metrics being the second-best this season - and an economy of 8.47, the third-best. They have been almost true to form today.

RCB 147 for 4 after 16

Jacks goes back to slap Kuldeep over covers but hits it straight to the fielder in the ring. A hint of grip on the surface, especially for Kuldeep in his third over. DC gain some control as a result.

This was Jacks' eighth innings in IPL 2024, and only the fourth score in double-digits. RCB 138 for 4 after 15

Rasikh Salam finally ends the 88-run partnership between Patidar and Jacks. Goes hard length, Patidar is on the front foot and looks to force it over cover. Miscues it and Axar covers good ground to his right and dives to pouch that. After a few sitters being dropped, this comes across as a breath of fresh air. RCB 124 for 3 in 12.3 overs

ICYMI, Shashank Kishore wrote a lovely interview-feature about Salam's reinvention.

Patidar takes down spin. It is an open secret. Before this match, he averaged 77 and struck the spinners at 229 while his average against pace was 14.2 at a strike rate of 144.

But he struck three fours off a Mukesh over in the powerplay before tearing into the spin twins. He ended the powerplay with a six off Axar before a full, flighted one from Kuldeep was deposited straight over the bowler's head. Then a shortish ball from Axar in the next disappeared over deep midwicket.

Thanks to the carnage, Patidar brought up his fifty off 29 balls (strike rate of 172.41). This is his fifth half-century - fourth in last five outings - in IPL 2024, and three of those have been at a strike rate in excess of 200.

Thanks to him and Jacks, RCB are 119 for 2 after 11.1 overs

A titbit from Sampath Bandarupalli: First fifty for Rajat Patidar at Chinnaswamy this year. He scored 61 runs in five home games at 12.2 before today. He had four fifties in five innings at away venues.

The over in focus:

Kuldeep Yadav almost turned the game around in his second over, the ninth of the innings. Both Will Jacks and Rajat Patidar hit him for a six each in his opening over. He almost extracted revenge in the ninth over. First he outfoxed Jacks with a wrong'un that was skied high. Axar ran towards long-on from covers and shelled it despite a dive. Then Kuldeep fired one on a length that Patidar hit towards wide long-on. But despite getting there, Hope couldn't hang on. A Capital mistake?

RCB 99 for 2 in 9 overs

You expect a wicket to slow down proceedings. But this IPL has dispelled that notion. Just after Kohli was dismissed, Rajat Patidar does this in a Mukesh Kumar over:

Patidar also slogs Axar Patel over deep midwicket in the last over of the powerplay to help RCB score 36 in the last three overs of the powerplay. They finished on 61 for 2 after the first six overs.

Ishant began with a sharp inswinger to Kohli in the first over. Kohli had to adjust and defended off the inner half on the first ball of the game. Then he had a swish and a miss after giving Ishant the charge. But on the final ball of the first over, he pulled him for a six over deep square leg.

This is how Ishant vs Kohli played out a couple of overs later:

Kohli got a fortuitous outside edge on the first ball. Ishant felt he was lucky and they shared a few friendly words - both have played for Delhi in the domestic circuit. And then followed a no-look six from Kohli - no half-measure in depositing a slot ball over wide long-on. But Ishant has the last laugh and nicks off Kohli, and gives him a friendly bump with his body as Kohli walks back with a slight, sheepish smile. RCB 36/2 in 3.4 overs

A hint of awayswing is all Mukesh needs. Gets du Plessis off his second ball. Gets it to swing away from a fuller length outside off, a bit late that, he goes hard at it and slices it to deep backward point. Field placement on point.

CSK have beaten RR comfortably. How does that leave the equation for all of CSK, RCB and DC?

Here's S Rajesh: CSK’s win takes them closer to a playoffs spot, but by no means are they certain of qualifying. If they lose to RCB and stay on 14, then four teams can still finish ahead of them on points: KKR, RR, SRH and one of DC or LSG.

If DC beat RCB later tonight, then they can reach 16 by beating LSG on Tuesday. If LSG beat DC, then they can reach 16 by beating MI on Friday. For 14 points to be enough, CSK will have to hope that four teams don’t get to 16, which means LSG and DC will have to lose at least one if SRH win one and go to 16. If SRH lose both, then as many as six teams could finish on 14, jostling for two spots.

Axar says conditions at Chinnaswamy the reasons behind the decision. Pant was hurt at the ban and hence appealed against it, he adds. Kumar Kushagra is in for Pant. Three overseas in the starting XI and David Warner is the only overseas name in the Impact Subs

Assess conditions and then attack, is RCB's mantra says du Plessis. They are unchanged.

RCB XI: V Kohli, F du Plessis (capt), WG Jacks, RM Patidar, MK Lomror, C Green, KD Karthik (wk), Yash Dayal, KV Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, LH Ferguson
Reserves: Swapnil, Rawat, Prabhudessai, Vyshak, Himanshu

DC XI: J Fraser-McGurk, Abishek Porel (wk), SD Hope, T Stubbs, K Kushagra, AR Patel (capt), Kuldeep Yadav, Rasikh Salam, I Sharma, KK Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar
Reserves: Warner, Sumit, Bhui, Ostwal, Praveen

What do RCB and DC have to do in order to make the playoffs? Click here to read