(Cricket news) Two new IPL captains Mayank Agarwal for Punjab Kings and Faf du Plessis for Royal Challengers Bangalore walked out for the toss which the former won and elected to bowl first. Despite a slow start, RCB finished their innings at 205/2 thanks to a 57 ball 88 by du Plessis. The former South African skipper after a bumpy start really took on the bowling. He was initially supported by Anuj Rawat and later by Virat Kohli who surprisingly came to bat at number 3.
Dinesh Karthik came in to bat at number 4 with 3 overs to go and did what he does best. The gloveman scored 35 runs in double quick time which is exactly why he was bought by RCB. Rahul Chahar and Arshdeep Singh picked up a wicket each. They were also the only bowlers who were somewhat economical for PBKS. Chasing the mammoth total, Agarwal and Shikhar Dhawan gave their side a very good start by scoring 70 in 7 overs. Keeper Bhanuka Rajapaksa played a very important knock of 43 of 22 balls to set up a run chase.
Cameos from Liam Livingston, Shah Rukh Khan and especially Odean Smith helped PBKS chase down the total within 19 overs. RCB bowlers couldn't contain the runs at any point during the game as all the bowlers were expensive. Mohammed Siraj started off really sloppy by giving two four wides and a couple of looseners. He came back well by picking up two quick wickets. The biggest takeaway from this match was that RCB needed Josh Hazelwood back desperately.
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