Royal Challengers Bangalore 174 for 4 (Du Plessis 84, Kohli 59, Brar 2-31) beat Punjab Kings 150 (Prabhsimran 46, Jitesh 41, Siraj 4-21) by 24 runs
Faf du Plessis revealed that he wouldn’t have even played this game had the Impact Player rule not been in place. Du Plessis – bruised rib and all – hit 84 off 56 balls on a sluggish Mohali pitch to haul Royal Challengers Bangalore to 174 for 4, despite a late slowdown. He then rested in the dugout and watched Mohammed Siraj excel in both the powerplay and death to help them defend the target.
Royal Challengers had managed only 37 for 4 in their last four overs after being on 137 for 0 in 16 overs. However, they dominated the powerplay – both with bat and then ball – to hold off Punjab Kings and give their campaign a leg-up after a narrow defeat against Chennai Super Kings at home.
Full report to follow…
