RR vs RCB IPL 2024 Eliminator Match Report: It could have been a seventh time luck for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. But the IPL 2024 Eliminator at Narendra Modi Stadium turned out to be a seventh match itch as Faf Du Plessis & co crashed out of the tournament on Wednesday. Their dream run, with six wins on the bounce, ended at Motera as determined Rajasthan Royals brought their A game where it mattered. This was the match that showed why RR were the unbeatable team in the first half of the tournament. Credit should go to the bowlers of Rajasthan Royals, who restricted RCB to a below-par total – 172/8 – on a pitch that was supposed to be batter-friendly.
RR vs RCB IPL 2024 Eliminator: How Rajasthan Royals bowlers stifled RCB
Winning their first game since April 27, RR won the toss and skipper Sanju Samson opted to bowl first. He said that the decision was taken due to the dew factor. RR bowlers maintained their firm grip on the match from the very first ball. Though Virat Kohli did manage to get a spectacular IPL record under his belt, both him and Faf Du Plessis failed to give a solid start to RCB in a match of this magnitude.
While Faf was dismissed inside the powerplay, Kohli followed him quickly in the 8th over. Not a single RCB batter managed to score a half-century. Ravichandran Ashwin (2-19), Avesh Khan (3-44), Trent Boult (1-16) stifled the RCB batters. Though Sandeep Sharma (1-48) and Yuzvendra Chahal (1-43) were not that economical, but they never let RCB to build a strong partnership.
RR vs RCB IPL 2024 Eliminator: Rajasthan Royals’ comfortable chase
In response, RR openers – Yashasvi Jaiswal and Tom Kohler-Cadmore – gave a smashing start. RCB bowlers were never able to put pressure on RR. Though wickets did tumble but it was a comfortable chase. Even when they lost two quick wickets, RR were so close to the target with wickets in hands that it didn’t deter them. Rovman Powell finished the job in style. With this win, RR move to Qualifier 2 on Friday May 24 where they will face Sunrisers Hyderabad.