Salt and Kohli power RCB to nine-wicket win over Royals
Jaipur: Phil Salt’s explosive 33-ball 65 laid the foundation and Virat Kohli’s 100th T20 fifty provided the finishing touch as Royal Challengers Bengaluru cruised to a dominant nine-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals in the IPL here on Sunday.
RCB’s decision to bowl first paid off on a surface that stayed low and offered variable bounce, even as rising India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal’s fluent 75 off 47 balls stood out in Rajasthan Royals total of 173/4.
On a slow, tacky Sawai Mansingh Stadium pitch where stroke-making was far from easy, Salt’s counterattack stunned the hosts.
He smashed six sixes and five fours in his fiery innings, putting RR’s bowlers under pressure from the start.
His assault, followed by Kohli’s ice-cool unbeaten 62 not out off 45 balls (4x4, 2x6), helped RCB chase down 174 with ease, finishing the job in just 17.3 overs.
This was RCB’s fourth win of the season — all coming in away matches.
Salt signalled his intent from the outset, top-edging Jofra Archer for a six in the opening over and also survived a close lbw shout.
He constantly shuffled across the stumps to access the leg-side and raced to his second fifty of the season in just 28 balls, bringing the required target under 100 in the eighth over.
He had moments of fortune along the way. On 23, a powerful flick ricocheted off Sandeep Sharma’s outstretched hand in a tough return catch attempt.
Later, on 40, Jaiswal dropped a sharp low chance at cover, which also offered a run-out opportunity, but the stumps weren’t hit. Salt made
the Royals pay dearly for those lapses. Meanwhile, Kohli was happy to play second fiddle, beginning cautiously with just seven off his first six balls.
He too had an early life — a miscue off Sandeep’s slower ball was put down by Riyan Parag at mid-off, a straightforward chance. But the RCB’s iconic batter regrouped quickly and settled into his anchor role.
Together, the duo stitched a 92-run opening stand, with 65 runs coming in the powerplay alone, a phase that decisively tilted the contest RCB’s way.
Salt was eventually dismissed for 65, bowled by Kumar Kartikeya, leaving RCB needing just 82 from 68 balls.
From there, Kohli took charge, pacing his innings with 25 singles and picking off the boundaries with surgical precision.
He brought up his landmark 100th T20 fifty in style, dancing down the track to loft Wanindu Hasaranga straight over his head for a boundary. That over, the 15th of the innings, yielded 14 runs and brought the equation down to 28 off 30 balls to seal the result beyond doubt.
Kohli now has 100 fifties and nine centuries from 405 T20 matches.
Earlier, 23-year-old Jaiswal struck 10 fours and two sixes, handling the sluggish track with poise while others around him struggled.
After seeing off a disciplined opening burst from Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, and Yash Dayal, Jaiswal began to open up in the fifth over with a six and a four off Dayal.
He reached his second fifty of the season in 35 balls and stitched a 56-run stand with Riyan Parag (30 off 18) that came in just 39 balls.
Parag looked fluent with a six and three boundaries but couldn’t capitalise on a life on 13, when Dayal dropped a regulation chance at point.
He eventually fell to Dayal’s cleverly disguised back-of-the-hand slower ball, miscuing it to Kohli at short cover.
Sanju Samson (13 off 16) endured a scratchy stay, bogged down by seven dot balls and tight bowling. He survived a run-out chance early on but was eventually stumped after misjudging a low delivery from Krunal Pandya.
Jaiswal kept the scoreboard ticking with inventive strokeplay, including a lap and a reverse sweep.
He even scooped Hazlewood for a six over fine leg before falling to him
in the same over, missing a sweep and getting trapped plumb in front.
