Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) were fined for maintaining a slow over-rate during their match against Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2023 at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday. This was RCB’s second offense of the season under the IPL’s code of conduct relating to minimum over-rate offences, which resulted in Kohli being fined Rs 24 lakh, while each member of the playing XI, including impact substitute Harshal Patel, was fined Rs. was imposed. 6 lakh or 25% of the match fee, whichever is less.
Faf du Plessis’ 62 off 39 balls and Glenn Maxwell’s 77 off 44 balls helped RCB post 189/9 in 20 overs to win the match by seven runs. Harshal Patel then defended 20 runs in the last over with a crucial 3-for. 32, guiding RCB to their fourth win of the season. In reply, Rajasthan Royals did not get off to a good start as they lost Jos Buttler to Mohammad Siraj for a duck. However, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Devdutt Padikkal combined to collect eight boundaries in three overs, with Jaiswal hitting a massive six off Maxwell as RR reached 41/1 at the end of the power-play.
Virat Kohli having fun with Trent Boult after the match. The two greats of this era pic.twitter.com/Gpcd3M6yuy— Angel (@BluntIndianGal) April 24, 2023
Jaiswal and Padikkal scored 51 runs in the next four overs to take the Royals to 92/1 after 10 overs. However, RCB with their tight bowling managed to put pressure on the Royals as the visitors did not get a single boundary between overs 11-15. Samson finally released the pressure valve by hitting a four and a six off Wanindu Hasaranga, but the RCB pacer came back the next ball, getting Samson caught at short third man for 22 (15). Jurel counter-attacked with 34 runs in the death overs to keep the visitors in the hunt.
With 20 needed off the final over, Ashwin played a bizarre shot, hit a four and went for a double off the next ball. He followed it up with another four and tried to go big on the next delivery, but did not get much height and gave a simple catch to the fielder stationed at deep mid-wicket. With two singles off the last two balls, RCB won by seven runs.
Batting first, RCB suffered two early setbacks in the form of Virat Kohli and Shahbaz Ahmed. However, Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell got down to a rebuilding job, taking the power-play score to 62/2. The duo shared a 127-run partnership off 66 balls before du Plessis was run out by a brilliant direct hit from Yashasvi Jaiswal in the 14th over. Maxwell fell for 77 in the next over. RCB lost their way in the last six overs as RR conceded just 50 runs from the last 41 balls and took seven wickets to restrict the home team to 189/9.