'When 49 meets 59': RR's catastrophic batting show, RCB's unthinkable win sparks hilarious meme fest
RR produced a catastrophic batting show, going down for just 59 runs in 10.3 overs as RCB won by 112 runs
When the match had started, Royal Challengers Bangalore's desperate need for a win given their negative net run rate was highlighted with most backing Rajasthan Royals to script a win in Jaipur on Sunday. But what the crowd at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium and those glued to their TV and digital sets witnessed over the next three hours left fans of both the teams utterly bemused. RCB did manage a competitive total of 171 for five, but their bowlers made a mockery of the Rajasthan line-up, who were touted to chase it down with great comfort. RR produced a catastrophic batting show, going down for just 59 runs in 10.3 overs as RCB won by 112 runs.
RCB have a lot of credit to give to Glen Maxwell for his fiery knock of 54 before Anuj Rawat produced a stunning cameo knock of 29 runs of 11 balls where he smashed two sixes and a boundary in the final three balls to set a target of 172.
In response, RR lost their top three for just four runs in nine balls with openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler going back to the pavilion for two-ball ducks each. By the end of the powerplay, they managed only 28 runs for the loss of two more wickets and the lower order followed the trend with no intent. Shimron Hetmyer did show some promise, but it was never enough given how big the target looked by the time he walked out. He managed only 35 off 19.
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RR eventually was folded for just 59, their second lowest score after 58, also scored against RCB in IPL 2009 in Cape Town. Overall, it is the third lowest score in IPL with RCB's infamous 49 still topping the unwanted chart.
The result of the match and the manner in which it happened sparked hilarious meme fest with RR fans left flabbergasted at the batting show and RCB fans astonished at their massive win. Here are a few tweets…
With the 112-run win, RCB soared to the fifth spot in the table, now having a positive net run rate of 0.166. They have two more games to play with one at home, giving fans a hope of a playoffs qualification. RR, on the other hand, stand sixth, still with a positive NRR but with a diminished chance of making the knockouts.
"I think our top three were scoring a lot of runs, we go hard in the powerplay but it didn’t come out today. I think it's too soon to analyze or dissect the game. You need to go hard in the powerplay knowing the ball was getting slower and older, that’s the way me, Jaiswal and Jos have played throughout," said RR skipper Sanju Samson after the match.
