Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) came into the IPL 2024 Eliminator with six successive wins behind them, and Rajasthan Royals (RR) with five successive win-less games. But there really is no such thing as momentum in sport, and certainly not in a sport as fickle as T20.
Royals won an important toss, and their bowlers delivered a superb performance to restrict RCB to 172 at a venue where dew makes chasing significantly easier than setting targets.
It was a game of two halves, as RR got over the line with an over to spare despite a number of nervy moments in their chase.
It was also a game of two ends. One square boundary in Ahmedabad was significantly longer than the other, and the RR bowlers used this asymmetry brilliantly. RCB scored 51 for 6 in their odd-numbered overs, when the longer boundary was to the leg side for the right-hand batter, and 121 for 2 from the other end.
It wasn’t a coincidence that Trent Boult, Ravichandran Ashwin and Avesh Khan, RR’s best bowlers on the night, did the bulk of their bowling from the favourable end.
The imbalance existed even when RR batted: 111 for 1 in ten overs from one end, and 63 for 5 in nine overs from the other. It helped RR that they had right-left pairs occupying the crease for longer than RCB did, but not to a massive extent.
In the end, it came down to the total RCB put on the board Faf du Plesis their captain, admitted that they were about 20 runs short. He felt it was a 180 pitch when RCB batted, and a significantly higher-scoring one, thanks to the dew, when RR chased.
RR are now through to Qualifier 2 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Chennai on Friday. For RCB, this is another trophy-less season but one that will be remembered fondly for many years to come.
The game of two ends began early. Boult swung the new ball in an opening spell of three overs, and was inch-perfect with his lines and lengths: no room for the batters to free their arms, and no slot balls or long-hops. He conceded just six runs and two leg-byes in those three overs, and had du Plessis caught at deep midwicket to end an opening stand of 37.
At the other end, though, RCB clattered 42 in three overs. Virat Kohli using his feet routinely to step out or make room, looked ominous while rushing to 30 off 19 by the end of the powerplay.
Boult gave way to Ashwin from the end with the long leg-side boundary (for the right-hand batter), and that end continued to be hard to score off. Ashwin bowled beautifully, bowling at high pace, either into the pitch or right up at the batters’ feet, offering no room, and primarily using his carrom and reverse-carrom variations against RCB’s right-hand batters.
But he was also aided by the end he bowled from, and the fact that his first two overs came soon after RCB had lost big wickets. He bowled the seventh over soon after Boult had taken out du Plessis, and the ninth immediately after Kohli had fallen to Yuzvendra Chahal.
Kohli’s slog-sweep has been one of the stories of IPL 2024. The shot, brought out of cold storage after many years, has allowed Kohli to overturn a long-standing issue of slow scoring against spin, and given him an extra gear through the middle overs. On this day, though, he was out to his first slog-sweep, caught on the midwicket boundary.
RCB kept playing their shots when they could attack the short leg-side boundary, and took Chahal for 13 in the tenth over and Avesh for 13 in the 12th. In between, Dhruv Jurel, running in from long-on, put down a sitter to reprieve Rajat Patidar when he miscued a big hit off Ashwin.
But Ashwin didn’t let RR worry about that miss for too long, inducing a mis-hit from Cameron Green in the 13th over, his fourth, and following up with the dismissal of Glenn Maxwell, who ended a lean season with the bat by attempting to hit his first ball for six and picking out long-on.
Chahal bowled another expensive over, conceding 19 in the 14th, and when Patidar hooked Avesh for six at the start of the 15th – it was RCB’s first boundary in an odd-numbered over – it looked as though a 190-ish total was possible. But Avesh got a shortish delivery to get big on Patidar next ball, and caused him to miscue to a backtracking mid-off fielder.
He could have had two in two, producing a perfect first-ball in-ducker to have Dinesh Karthik adjudged LBW only for the decision, reviewed by the batter, overturned when the third umpire seemed to mistake bat hitting pad for an inside edge on to pad.
Karthik remained scratchy while scoring 11 off 13 in what is likely his final innings at the senior level, Avesh eventually getting him with a hard-length legcutter that climbed steeply on him in the 19th over. Mahipal Lomror gave RCB a bit of impetus towards the end with 32 off 17, which featured two leg-side sixes off Chahal, but their total of 172 seemed inadequate at the innings break.
There were two dropped chances early in the chase. The first was a difficult one – Green throwing himself to his left at slip and putting down an edge from Yashasvi Jaiswal in the third over – and the second a sitter – Maxwell shelling Tom Kohler-Cadmore at deep square-leg in the fifth. The two openers peppered the boundary either side of those misses – Yash Dayal particularly unfortunate to concede three fours to Jaiswal soon after having him dropped off his bowling – and RR ran to 45 for no loss by the end of the fifth.
Lockie Ferguson ended the powerplay with an excellent sixth over, conceding just two and bowling Kohler-Cadmore with a slower yorker. RR were still well on top, though, a fact they emphasised when Jaiswal and Sanju Samson took 17 runs – including a six and two fours, all towards the shorter boundary – off Swapnil Singh’s left-arm spin in the seventh over.
Green came on in the tenth over and began to make a serious impact with his hard lengths, conceding just 11 runs in three overs while having Jaiswal caught behind while attempting a scoop. He also helped run Jurel out, fumbling a brilliant, one-bounce throw from Kohli in the deep but somehow managing to break the wicket with the ball still in contact with his hands.
At the other end, RR lost Samson, leaving his crease too early to be stumped off a deliberate off-side wide from Karn Sharma. At the end of the 14th over, Royals were four down and needed 58 off 36.
One big over would close that gap, and it came in the 16th, with Shimron Hetmyer and Riyan Parag taking 17 off Green’s fourth. Then Hetmyer hit Dayal for a pair of fours in the 17th, bringing the equation down to 19 off 18.
There was still time for one last twist, however, with Mohammed Siraj bowling Parag for 36 with a full, straight one that he played across, and finishing the over by inducing a miscue from Hetmyer.
It left Royals needing 13 from 12 with two new batters at the crease, and an unlikely RCB win was still on the cards.Royman Powell though, finished it off, finding a bit of luck early in the 19th with a pair of edged fours off Ferguson before completing the job with a stylish straight six.
Brief scores: Royal Challengers Bengaluru 172/8 in 20 overs (Rajat Patidar 34, Virat Kohli 33, Cammeron Green 27, Mahipal Lomror 32; Ravichandran Ashwin 2-19, Trent Boult 1-16, Sandeep Sharma 1-48, Yuzvendra Chahal 1-43, Avesh Khan 3-44) lost to Rajasthan Royals 174/6 in 19 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 45, Riyan Parag 36, Tom Kohler Cadmore 20, Shimron Hetmyer 26; Mohammed Siraj 2-33, Cameron Green 1-28, Lockie Furgeson 1-37, Karn Sharma 1-19) by four wickets.
Rescue operations are ongoing to locate missing residents [BBC]
At least25 people have died in the south-eastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais after heavy rains on Monday evening caused floods and several landslides.
Most deaths were reported in the city of Juiz de Fora, where officials say 18people were killed, while anothersevendeaths were reported in Ubá.
Rescue operations are ongoing, with workers and residents searching for dozens of people reported missing after several homes and buildings collapsed overnight.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva sent his “deepest condolences” to the families of the victims and those who lost their homes. He also said that the government had declared a “state of calamity” in Juiz de Fora.
In a post on X, Lula said he had mobilised the wider government to support those in the region and said his focus was on providing humanitarian assistance and supporting reconstruction efforts.
He added that the government would act with the “speed and force this moment requires”.
Around 440 people have been left homeless or displaced in Juiz de Fora alone, with the local government providing temporary shelter and asking for donations of water, food, clothing and hygiene supplies.
Mayor Margarida Salomão said the tragedy was the “saddest” moment in her five years in local government and declared three days of official mourning in memory of all the people in Juiz de Fora who lost their lives.
She said children were among those who died in Juiz de Fora, but the city has so far not released any further official information on the victims’ identities.
Valtencir Coutinho de Miranda made a plea on live television as he searched for his six-year-old daughter who is among those missing.
Holding a shovel in his hand among the mud and debris left by a landslide, he told TV Globo: “We are here to find her, with God giving us strength and comforting our hearts, so that we may find her alive.”
Rescue and clean up efforts are under way in areas hit by landslides [BBC]
A special ceremony honoring Victor Rathnayake was organized by the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation under the title “Subhawita Githaye Situvarayano…Abhinandabhishekaya of Dr. Victor Rathnayake”. The event was held on February 24 under the patronage of Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya at the Kumaratunga Munidasa Auditorium of the Broadcasting Corporation.
The objective of the program was to honour the invaluable service rendered by Dr. Victor Rathnayake over more than six decades to Sri Lanka’s music sector and to the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation. As a mark of appreciation, a portrait of Dr. Victor Rathnayake was also unveiled within the premises of the Broadcasting Corporation.
Addressing the gathering, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated:
“I am an admirer of Dr. Victor Rathnayake. Therefore this very moment is special to me. I never imagined that I would one day have the opportunity to pay tribute to you so closely. This is a deeply joyful, and historic moment for me.
For more than sixty years, you have rendered a service to Sri Lanka’s music sphere that cannot be expressed in words. The first concert I watched during my childhood was your solo concert ’Sa’, which also holds the record as the most frequently staged solo musical concert in the country.
It was your songs that nurtured my love for the Sinhala language. Songs such as ’Kurullanta Gee Gayanna Obe Kata Handa Denna’ and ’Sangava Ganu Mena Sonduriya’ presented the aspect of love with subtlety and rare beauty. It is through these music that I have understood that music and the richness of language have the power to take us into a completely different world.
The concepts of harmony embedded within these songs are something we must speak about more. Through the musical composition and rendition of songs such as ’Oba Yana Gamane Mavatha Ahura’ created for the film ’Sarungale’, you naturally introduced us to the beauty of diverse cultures.
Truly, as a nation, we are extremely fortunate to have received a priceless treasure like you”.
The Prime Minister further noted that the special moments of people’s lives in this country are closely intertwined with the creations of Victor Rathnayake.
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya also extended her best wishes for good health and long life to Dr. Victor Rathnayake, who celebrated his 84th birthday on February 18. She expressed her gratitude to the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation for organizing such an event and stated that, despite the many challenges faced by the institution amid growing competition in the media sector, she firmly believes the Corporation possesses the strength to overcome them and move forward.
The Prime Minister also specially appreciated the Broadcasting Corporation’s efforts to honor living legends of Sri Lanka’s arts and culture.
The event was attended by the Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs Dr. Hiniduma Sunil Senavi; Deputy Minister of Mass Media Dr. Kaushalya Ariyarathne; Dr. Rathna Sri Wijesinghe; Chairman of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation Senior Professor Uditha Gayashan Gunasekara; family members of Dr. Victor Rathnayake; his fans; and many other distinguished guests.
Sri Lanka's collapse against England has left them in danger of elimination [Cricinfo]
By the time New Zealand walk out under the Khettarama lights on Wednesday, it will have been eight days since their last competitive fixture, but in the face of their disastrous outing with the bat against England, it’s Sri Lanka that might be feeling rather undercooked, and are in danger of being eliminated from a World Cup they are co-hosting.
Make no qualms about it, Sri Lanka enter this contest seeking a massive course correction. Despite a strong start to the tournament with the bat, including a dominant chase over Australia and a dismantling of Oman, their monumental failure in their opening Super Eight fixture has once more disturbed the ghosts of collapses past.
Clarity will be the key word coming into this game, with Sri Lanka’s batters caught in several minds as to how to approach a tacky surface last time out. Some, like Kusal and Kamindu Mendis, were dismissed trying to find singles – something batting coach Vikram Rathour said might not have been optimal on a sticky surface, where even such “safe” stroke play can elicit errors.
Others failed to execute while trying to show intent, instead erring on execution and timing, while those like Kamil Mishara hung around doing not much at all, before making the wrong choice nevertheless in the end.
The game will have served up more questions than answers, and New Zealand will no doubt be itching to press on those pressure points.
New Zealand of course are coming into this game as the in-form batting unit this tournament, having played all their games on the flat, batter-friendly surfaces in Chennai and Ahmedabad. In Sri Lanka, though, they will need to come out with a more measured approach, particularly against a Sri Lankan attack that will no doubt look to exploit the spin-friendly home conditions.
New Zealand also enter with the better head-to-head record, with a 16-9 win-loss record against Sri Lanka; even on Sri Lankan soil it’s 5-3 in favour of the visitors. Recent history is not much different, with two Sri Lankan wins bookending a trio of defeats.
But all that means little in the context of a major tournament, particularly in a game which is as close to a must-win as possible for both sides. For Sri Lanka a defeat means a knockout; New Zealand, meanwhile, have slightly more wiggle room – particularly if England defeat Pakistan on Monday night – though they will then need other results to go their way.
In the spotlight
Of the spinners playing in this tournament, only Adam Zampa and Adil Rashid have a better record against Sri Lanka in men’s T20Is than Mitchell Santner. Across his 11 games against them, he has gone wicketless just twice, grabbing 14 wickets at an economy rate of 6.38 – well below his career economy of 7.24. This however will be Santner’s first time playing at Sri Lanka’s most spin-friendly limited overs venue, and he will be backing himself to boost those numbers.
Dunith Wellalage has seven wickets across this tournament, only behind Maheesh Theekshana (8) for Sri Lanka. Against England he was asked to bowl in the powerplay and came through with figures of 16 for 1 in that period, before finishing up with innings best figures of 3 for 26. With the action moving to the Khettarama, conditions should suit him even more. Sri Lanka will also be relying on him with the bat as well, with him twice being promoted up the order to no.5 already.
Team news
Sri Lanka will have been distraught with their batting performance against England, but it’s unlikely they will make any drastic changes. Kamil Mishara, who came in for Kusal Perera last time out, is likely to get another outing.
New Zealand have a fully fit 15 thanks to their extra couple of days off after the Pakistan game washout. Jacob Duffy was set to make way last time out for the returning Lockie Ferguson before rain played spoiler.
New Zealand XI (probable): Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (capt), Jimmy Neesham, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi Lockie Ferguson
