IPL 2021, RCB vs RR Highlight: Padikkal-Kohli demolish Rajasthan, take RCB on top of table

Devdutt Padikkal & Virat Kohli lead RCB to their fourth consecutive win. 

Devdutt Padikkal hits his maiden IPL century, leads RCB's chase. 

As Devdutt Padikkal nears his century, Virat Kohli silently registers his 48th half-century. RCB need 41 off 45

Devdutt Padikkal-Virat Kohli register RCB's highest-opening partnership ever. RCB need 49 off 48

Netizens amazed by Devdutt Padikkal's clean striking. 

This time Padikkal smokes Mustifizur for a six and Harsha Bhogle proclaims, "best of them all," on air. RCB are 105/0

Padikkal hits his fifth six of the game, this time targets Tewatia. Kohli plays second fiddle. RCB are 96/0

Devdutt Padikkal returns to form, registers his 6th IPL fifty with a boundary off Riyan parag. RCB are 74/0

Padikkal hits Parag for a maximum to end his over. RCB are 81/0

Much-needed break for Rajasthan as they desperately seek a breakthrough with RCB openers on a roll. Bangalore are 67/0

Padikkal ends powerplay with a maximum. RCB are 59/0 after 6 overs. 

Padikkal ends Mustafizur's over with a six, races past the 30-run mark. RCB are 49/0

Morris welcomed by Padikkal with consecutive boundaries. RCB are 33/0

Padikkal gets quick boundaries off Gopal, eyes a big score. RCB at 23/0

Devdutt Padikkal gets his first boundary, drives Sakariya for a four. RCB are 14/0

Virat Kohli takes on Gopal, smacks the first six

Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal open the innings, Gopal gets the new ball

Shivam Dube and Tewatia power Rajasthan to 177. RCB need 178 to win their fourth consecutive game and go on top of the table. 

Harshal Patel continues to top wicket taking charts, dismisses Chris Morris cheaply. RR are 170/8

After Morris, Harshal Patel accounts for Chetan Sakariya. 

Siraj gets rid of Rahul Tewatia after his wreckage. RR are 170/7 with one over to go

Rahul Tewatia hits Mohammed Siraj for a maximum, much-needed six for RR

Morris sends Jamieson's last bowl out of the park, takes RR to 157/6. 2 overs to go. 

RR are 145/6 with Morris and Tewatia in the middle

Kane Richardson gets his first IPL 2021 wicket, gets Shivam Dube's wicket for 46. Rajasthan are 133/6

Tewatia plays an audacious shot to smack Sundar for a boundary. RR are 128/5

In a blow to the SunRisers Hyderabad, 'Yorker King' T Natarajan is set to miss the remainder of the IPL 2021 due to an injury. As per reports, Natarajan is suffering from a knee injury that requires expert medical attention but he has been unable to due to the stringent bio-bubble in place for the ongoing tournament. READ MORE HERE

Harshal Patel picks a wicket but concedes 16 runs, RR are 120/5

Harshal Patel continues to pick wickets, dismisses Riyan Parag and gives him a fiery send-off. RR are 109-5

Parag hits the famous Dhoni 'Helicopter' shot for a boundary, Ian Bishop names it 'Underground Helicopter'

Riyan Parag smacks Jamieson for a boundary, takes RR to 100/4

Fetching occassional boundaries, Shivam Dube continues to keep the scoreboard ticking. RR are 75/4

T Natarajan has been ruled out of the IPL 2021 with a knee injury. The 'Yorker King' had been out of the action for the past two games. An official confirmation from the franchise is yet awaited. 

Chahal falters and Dube capitalizes, gets his second six in the same over and leaves Kohli gazing. RR are 64/4

RR vs RCB LIVE: 

Shivam Dube smacks Yuzvendra Chahal over long on for a maximum, takes RR to 53/4

Sundar gets his revenge after being hit for a six, dismisses skipper Sanju Samson and Rajasthan are down to 43/4

Sanju Samson hits the first six of the game, takes on Washington Sundar. RR are 43/3

RCB win the powerplay, restrict Rajasthan Royals to 32/3 within six overs. Siraj gets 2 wickets while Jamieson accounts for Vohra. 

Sanju Samson holds one end strong, welcomes Kane Richardson with a four. RR are 27/3

Awaiting his turn on the biggest stage, young Kerala wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammed Azharuddeen continues to eagerly wait for an opportunity from the sidelines in the Royal Challengers Bangalore camp. The young gun, who shot up the ranks during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021, was acquired by the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the IPL 2021 auctions at his base price of INR 20 lakh. Ahead of Bangalore's clash against Rajasthan, Azharuddeen shared a picture with skipper Virat Kohli and his wife Anushka Sharma. Read more here 

RCB review on-field umpires decision to bag their third wicket. Siraj dismisses David Miller for a duck. Rajasthan land in troubled waters & Virat Kohli is as pumped up as ever.

Kane Richardson swings into action in his first RCB game, grabs Manan Vohra's catch to help Jamieson gets his first wicket. RR are 16/2

Most matches as a captain in IPL:-

192 - MS Dhoni

129 - Virat Kohli

129 - Gautam Gambhir

120 - Rohit Sharma

74 - Adam Gilchrist

67 - David Warner

Jos Buttler and Manan Vohra to open. Mohammed Siraj gets the new ball. 

Mohammed Siraj gets the first breakthrough, claims Buttler's leg-stump. RR are 14/1

Virat Kohli pumped up with Jos Buttler's dismissal, Englishman makes way for skipper Sanju Samson in the middle. RR are 14/1

Manan Vohra gets off the mark with a boundary after 4 dots. RR are 13/0

Buttler's mishit gets RR their first boundary despite Siraj's tight over. RR are 8/0

RCB vs RR Live Updates:  

Glenn Maxwell, who has hit back-to-back half-centuries for the first time since IPL 2014, eyes retaining the Orange Cap which Shikhar Dhawan holds currently. Maxwell needs 56 runs more to surpass Dhawan. The Australian all-rounder has scored 176 runs so far while Dhawan has scored 231 runs. 

Virat Kohli wins the toss, puts Rajasthan to bat first at the Wankhede. 

'Not used to winning toss,' quips Virat Kohli as he wins the one against Sanju Samson. 

"Going to bowl. Have seen results here whether there's dew or not. Confident we can chase anything down. Try and exploit whatever we can with the new ball. Very exciting for me as a batsman but the bowlers will have to adjust. Have experienced conditions totally opposite in Chennai," Kohli exudes confidence in chasing any total down. 

• Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Jos Buttler, Manan Vohra, Sanju Samson(w/c), Shivam Dube, David Miller, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Chris Morris, Shreyas Gopal, Chetan Sakariya, Mustafizur Rahman
• Royal Challengers Bangalore (Playing XI): Virat Kohli(c), Devdutt Padikkal, Shahbaz Ahmed, Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers(w), Washington Sundar, Kyle Jamieson, Kane Richardson, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal

"You have to adapt to the conditions here, because here conditions are totally opposite (to Chepauk) but skills remain the same. The lines and lengths, and the pace varies, and that will be key. I love playing here. Everyone is buzzing with positive energy. Whatever we have planned for games has been executed and that feels good. Key is to keep it really simple. We just want to stick to a process and play aggressive cricket as much as we can," says Harshal Patel ahead of teh toss. 

"This year, the team environment is really different in the way everyone is getting along with each other. Seniors and juniors are gettling well together. (On his improved bowling skills) The confidence has come from the exposure and form I had during the Australia Tests. It feels good. Bio-bubble is challenging, as a player you need to be really strong because you have to train your mind to the fact that you can only do training, play matches and be back to the hotel room. I’ve got myself accustomed to this now. (Adapting from Chepauk to Wankhede) I’ll back myself to maintain good lines and lengths, as I’m confident of my abilities. You can get some swing with the new ball here," says Mohammed Siraj. 
 

Wankhede Pitch Report for RCB vs RR

"This was the pitch used for Match 2 and 4 this season and we have had 816 runs scored. It's an absolute belter. It's the 2011 World Cup pitch as well. Groundsmen Ramesh and team have done a great job. Nice covering grass, good sound too. Tap tap tap (tests the surface with his knuckles).. Nice and hard. The ball comes through really nicely. The quicks have had a some success, been a bit of swing and movement. On pitches either side (6 and 8) we've had some turn as well. As it's drying out through the tournament we may see some turn. There's a nice breeze blowing across that may keep the dew away. Hope it stays away. 185-190... Put them on the board and you may be able to defend it," Simon Doull presents the pitch report. 

Since his debut in 2016, Jasprit Bumrah has rocked the world of international cricket with his unorthodox bowling action. Compared with the likes of Lasith Malinga, Bumrah's unique action has often intrigued analysts and commentators alike. Amid the ongoing IPL 2021, Rajasthan Royals' all-rounder Shreyas Gopal has challenged the Mumbai Indians' pace spearhead claiming that he can imitate the bowling action better than Jasprit Bumrah in himself. 

In a video shared by Rajasthan Royals ahead of their clash against RCB, Shreyas Gopal can be seen mimicking the bowling actions of Ravichandran Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh, and Jasprit Bumrah.  Watch the video here 

Ahead of the RCB vs RR encounter, Mike Hesson, the Director of Cricket Operations for RCB, has hinted at changes to be made in the squad keeping the pitch in mind. In an RCB vs RR preview video posted on the Twitter handle of RCB, Mike Hesson said that they want to see how Daniel Sams recovers and bowler like Kane Richardson and Adam Zampa were fully up to speed and they will be considered alongside Finn Allen. This means that RCB will in all likelihood, play 4 overseas players despite their strategy of playing only 3 of them in their previous match against KKR, working.

The batters from both teams will be licking their lips looking at the surface at the Wankhede Stadium. The wicket has been known to assist the batsmen. The lightning-quick outfields and shorter boundaries will make it even difficult for the bowlers. The previous encounter at the venue proved to be a run-fest as both Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders scored in excess of 200 in their respective innings. The captain winning the toss could be inclined to bowl first, considering the dew factor. 

Average first innings score: 167 (79 matches)

Record of chasing teams: Won – 41, Lost – 38

RCB's AB de Villiers has been the most impressive batter for Virat Kohli and co. this season so far. The explosive batter has 125 runs to his name from 3 matches. The right-hander has played with a magnificent strike rate of 189.39 in IPL 2021. For the RR side, Sanju Samson smashed a stunning century in the team's opening fixture. However, the wicketkeeper-batsman has scored only 5 runs in the subsequent two matches. Irrespective of his recent form, Samson will be the best bet for RR in their upcoming clash against RCB. 

When it comes to the bowling department, RCB medium pacer Harshal Patel has contributed significantly towards the team's success in the initial matches. The 30-year-old is the leading wicket-taker of the season so far with 9 wickets from 3 games. Chetan Sakariya has been the most successful bowler for RR this season as he has claimed 6 wickets for them in 3 appearances. 

Dream11 Predicted Team

Keeper – A Villiers, J Buttler (VC) 

Batsmen – R Parag, V Kohli, D Miller, D Padikkal 

All-Rounders – G Maxwell (C), C Morris 

Bowlers – H Patel, C Sakariya, K Jamieson  

For the first time since 2013, the Royal Challengers Bangalore have managed to win their first three outings in the IPL and have done it clinically this year around. Strengthened by the arrival of Glenn Maxwell, the batting responsibilities have been offloaded, releasing the pressure on skipper Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. The death bowling, which has often been a trouble for RCB, has also looked in good touch this season. 

On the other hand, all has not been well for Rajasthan Royals. While they eagerly await the arrival of Jofra Archer, the Royals have been dealt with severe blows as star all-rounder Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the remainder of the tournament. The franchise has also lost the services of Liam Livingstone who has flown back home citing bio-bubble fatigue. Rajasthan hold the second-last position on the table and eye a comeback with a win against RCB.