Kohli-inspired RCB beat Delhi Capitals

Delhi Capitals (DC) succumbed to yet another defeat, their fifth in a row, going down to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by 23 runs at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday evening.

Thanks to opener Virat Kohli’s 34-ball 50 (6x4s, 1×6), RCB scored 174/6 in 20 overs. Skipper Faf du Plessis (22), Mahipal Lomror (26) and Glenn Maxwell (24) made valuable contributions to the team’s cause while Shahbaz Ahmed provided the late fillip with a 12-ball unbeaten 20.

Chinaman spinner Kuldeep Yadav put up a decent display with two wickets for 23 runs in four overs while Mitchell Marsh took two wickets for 18 in two overs.

In response, DC could score only 151/9 in their allotted 20 overs with Manish Pandey getting 50 off 38 deliveries to return as the team’s top-scorer.

DC’s chase began on a poor note as they lost three wickets for just two runs. The opening bowling duo of Mohammad Siraj and Wayne Parnell was on fire as it left DC in a bother in only the third over.

When David Warner (19 off 13) was the fourth batsman dismissed in the sixth over with the score on 30, the writing was on the wall.

Axar Patel’s 21, Aman Hakim Khan’s 18 and Anrich Nortje’s 23 took DC past 150 but the team was never really in contention.

Medium pacer Vijaykumar Vyshak was the most successful of the DC bowlers, picking three wickets for 20 runs in four overs.

Siraj took 2/23 while Parnell returned with 1/28.

DC need to start winning from the next match onwards if they are to proceed to the play-offs.