That's an end to our live coverage as well. What a game we had here in Bengaluru. It never disappoints us. A typical Virat Kohli run-chase, followed by a DK finish. Tomorrow, we have CSK vs GT.
For now, it's me AkshayaKrishna Polya, signing off on behalf of my co-commentators Sidharth Gulati and Deepak Prakash, who, alongside our scorer/analyst Zeeshan Naiyer who brought you all the live-action of this mouth-watering clash. We will meet again. Until then, cheers!
Most economical four-over figures by a spinner in Bengaluru in IPL:
4/9 - Samuel Badree for RCB against MI, 2017
2/13 - Harpreet Brar for PBKS against RCB, 2024
1/13 - Shahbaz Nadeem for DC against RCB, 2017
1/14 - Daniel Vettori for RCB against PBKS, 2011
Most runs in slog overs between 17 and 20 in the IPL since 2022:
-Shimron Hetmyer: 383
-Dinesh Karthik- 372
-Rinku Singh- 351
-Tim David- 290
Virat Kohli (Player of the Match): "Don't get too overexcited (to the crowd roaring). It's only two games. I know what this means. There are people who talk about a lot of other things. When you play sport, the achievements, the stats, the numbers. Look, at the end of the day, it's about when you look back, you're not going to think of the numbers and the stats. It's the memories that you create.
Famously, Rahul bhai in the change room nowadays says exactly the same to us. When you play, you play your heart out because you're going to miss these times when you're with your friends in the change room, playing in front of fans. So the relationship that's happened organically over so many years, it's something that I can never ever forget. Just the love and the appreciation and the backing I've received for so many years, that's been amazing.
Look, in T20 cricket, I try to give the team a blazing start, but if the wickets fall from the other end then you have to understand the conditions you're playing as well. The wicket wasn't as flattered as Bangalore is usually. It was a bit too paced and I thought that I needed to play correct cricketing shots. Playing across the line wasn't quite working. I tried a few, so I just felt like I needed a couple of big hits from the other end and then maybe I can get that another big over which didn't happen. Maxi and Anuj got out pretty much back to back and that really hurt us. So I was very disappointed. I couldn't finish the game off in the end.
I mean, you have to come up with a game plan here and there and try to keep improving your game. I know my name is nowadays quite attached to just promoting the game in many parts of the world when it comes to T20 cricket, but still, got it, I guess (laughs).
I mean, look, when you're completely at ground level, you can say, we were not in the country, we were at a place where people were not recognizing us, just time together as a family, just to feel normal for two months, for me, for us as a family, was a surreal experience. Of course, having two kids, things become totally different from a family perspective. So just the ability to be together, the connections that you make with your older child, it's amazing. I mean, I couldn't have been more grateful to god for the opportunity that I got to spend time with my family and, yeah, just the place that we were in. When we came back, the voices back home felt that much louder, I couldn't look up because I was just not used to being called my name for two months and then immediately you hear these loud noises and then you're back in it all again. But it was beautiful. It's an amazing experience to just be another person on the road and not be recognized and just carry on about life that normally people would on a daily basis.
Well, I don't play for caps and all that anymore, to be honest. I mean, it's for me, an opportunity to help my team. That's the only thing that I've given to Indian cricket, to RCB, and that's the promise I can give here. It's not the orange cap, but I'll keep turning up and keep trying my best. That's it."
Virat Kohli is the Player of the Match
Faf du Plessis (RCB Captain): "Not as much on the inside, but obviously early in the competition, you want to make sure you get over the line. I felt we were in a position there where perhaps could have done a little bit sooner. But great to see the boys with the composure at the back end there.
No, I don't think it was gone. Obviously the new rule, you know that there's an extra batter. So we know we had Lomror there still coming in. In the past, scoring 12 runs in the last over would have been tough, but with an extra batter, achieving 30 runs off 2 overs became doable. It's great to see Karthik starting this competition well.
It's crucial for players like him to perform in the IPL to boost their confidence for the rest of the tournament. With many games ahead, his experience will be extremely valuable. In the auction, there was a plan to find players suited for this unique ground with its different pitch.
Players like Virat were essential because this pitch isn't typical. It's refreshing to see Virat still passionate about cricket after a nice break, as being fresh towards the end of the tournament is important."