This season has been all about the big scores, but Sunday's day game left spectators watching at the Sawai Mansingh stadium in Jaipur, on Star Sports and Jio Cinema stunned as Royal Challengers Bangalore clinched a crushing 112 run win over the Rajasthan Royals.
After opting to bat first, RCB got off to a steady start, but the boundaries didn't come off the Challengers' bat as effortlessly as they would have wanted.
Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis handed the visitors a steady start, scoring 50 off 42 for the opening stand. As K M Asif picked up Kohli's wicket, it made way for the hard-hitting Glenn Maxwell.
Maxwell and du Plessis have put up four century stands this season. Though not another blistering partnership, Maxwell found the occasional boundaries as the pair added 69 off 47 for the second wicket.
Asif was once again handy with the ball as he removed Faf. As has been the story, Challengers struggled to build partnerships thereon.
But a handy cameo from young Anuj Rawat brought a lot of cheer in the Challengers dugout. Rawat's 11-ball 29 took Challengers to 171/5.
Was it enough on the board?
Well, though the asking rate was a little high on the tough pitch, Royals boast of an explosive line-up and are capable of batting deep. But it was all tossed out of the window.
The Rajasthan Powerplay completely took a win out of the equation for the hosts. What unfolded was tough to describe if you are a Royal fan. As skipper Sanju Samson said, 'I have no words.' The Royals folded for 59 in just 10.3 overs.
With a tough task on the board, Royals' power-hitters' stay at the crease was a short one. Except for Shimron Hetmyer.
Barring a 16-ball 13 stand for the fourth wicket between Joe Root and Devdutt Padikkal and a 6-ball-19 stand between Hetmyer and Ravichandran Ashwin for the seventh, all of Royals partnerships were single digit.
Mohammed Siraj, who has been so lethal with the new ball for the Challengers, got the ball rolling.
Siraj picked up Yashasvi Jaiswal in the very first over. With the in-form opener departing without scoring, RCB got the start they wanted.
Wayne Parnell shared the ball with Siraj and was the leading wicket-taker for the Challengers as he picked up three big wickets.
Parnell first removed Jos Buttler. With both openers falling for ducks, the Royals found the game quickly slipping away. But RCB were just getting started. Just two balls later, Samson (4) too was back in the dugout.
It was a disastrous powerplay with RR reduced to 28/5 in the powerplay.
Hetmyer attempted to give the hosts something to cheer for as he struck a 19-ball 35, but it wasn't RR's day.
Maxwell came in and delivered with the ball in his only over as he removed Hetmyer. Following Hetmyer's departure the Royals folded in the very next over.
With five wickets in the Powerplay, Challengers have now registered their best-ever season with the ball in the Powerplay. In the current season, RCB have picked up 30 wickets in the Powerplay; Gujarat Titans lie second with 20 wickets in the Powerplay.
RCB's 112 run win is its biggest margin of defeat in the league. With just one more game left for RR, it'll be a tough loss to recover from.
