In what was billed as a high-octane clash in Lucknow, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) fell short in their steep chase of 232 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
The former RCB skipper Virat Kohli looked in sublime touch, scoring an aggressive 43 off just 25 deliveries, laced with seven boundaries and a towering six. He and Phil Salt gave an amazing start, but after their dismissal, wickets started to tumble.
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JioStar expert and former India pacer Varun Aaron underlined the importance of Kohli's role in RCB's chasing blueprint.
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"As always, he started the chase strongly - he just loves chasing," Aaron said.
"But it also shows how crucial he is to RCB's success in a chase. This was the first time they lost a chase where he didn't score a fifty," he added.
Aaron praised Kohli's traditional batting approach and highlighted how it often anchors the high-octane chases on which RCB tends to thrive.
"He's very stable, doesn't play too many fancy shots, just classic, quality batting," he added.
The match, however, saw a quick unravelling after Phil Salt's promising start. The Englishman showed early intent but fell to a well-executed plan from SRH skipper Pat Cummins, a moment Aaron felt disrupted RCB's rhythm.
"Phil Salt started off well too, but his dismissal to Cummins came at the wrong time. He should've just waited a bit longer to rebuild. After that, they never regained momentum," he said.
Rajat Patidar's middling strike rate, once again hovering around the 120 mark, raised concerns about RCB's middle-order consistency as well.
"Rajat Patidar, again, had a strike rate around 120, his form is a concern," said Aaron. Despite the loss, Aaron believes the timing of this defeat might end up working in RCB's favour. "This might be a blessing in disguise for RCB - a jolt to get things in order before the play-offs," he noted.
With the play-off race heating up, the defeat may serve as a timely reminder for the Bengaluru franchise to tighten their combinations and bring their top-order firepower in sync with a more consistent middle-order performance.
(ANI Report)