CHENNAI: Shortly after 8.25 PM local time, a light drizzle at the HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala had eventually transformed into a gentle hail. The break in play came at the right time, or so the assumption went, for Punjab Kings who were up against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Before the rain delay, Rajat Patidar had gone on a six-a-thon. His coruscating takedown of spin and pace either side of the powerplay had put the visitors in a commanding position (for the record, he hit three fours and six sixes in a 23-ball 55). No bowler was spared; Harshal Patel was dismissed for three boundaries in an over while Rahul Chahar, who caught the eye in recent games, was dismissed for three sixes in the space of five balls. Arshdeep Singh, Sam Curran and Vidwath Kaverappa, who had provided the early breakthroughs, also travelled to and above the boundary hoardings at the HPCA Stadium.
Knowing that only a win would keep them alive, Patidar's turbo-charged, all-action cameo was exactly what the franchise needed after being inserted in on a good surface for strokeplay (it was the same strip used in the Chennai game but that was a day game, hence this was less tacky). Here, the ball was pinging off the surface. Unfortunately for the hosts, the only thing tacky was their catching. They dropped as many as three catches in a remarkable passage of play; Patidar was the beneficiary of one of those when his clubbed shot was spilled by fine-leg when he was on zero.
If Patidar's innings provided the required quality of meat, Virat Kohli was the one who ensured that the sandwich would be top class. Either side of Patidar's power-hitting, Kohli showed different facets of his batsmanship. In the process, he also showed his newfound disregard for wicket preservation in the powerplay (his strike-rate, balls per six and coming down the track to the new ball is all trending upward in 2024).
Off the second ball of the innings, he charged Kaverappa as he tried to clear mid-on. He connected with air as the ball moved away after pitching but full marks for intent. Moments later, Kaverappa could have had Kohli for nought. Another attempted shot through the leg side got the leading edge but Ashustosh couldn't hold a skier in the cover region. Off Kaverappa's next over, Kohli's full blooded drive was grassed by Rilee Roussouw at cover.
His first six off the night was the 'modern-yet-traditional' way that Kohli has perfected. Kaverappa went a touch too full and Kohli, who picked up the length early, delivered trademark six over long-off. His next six, again off Kaverappa, went in the same area.
Post the rain break, Kohli, on 42 off 23 at the time, came up against spin for the first time in the game. How would he approach this? Would this be the game? To be fair, he did slow down. 42 off 23 had become 47 off 30. Here we go again?
Not quiet as he found back-to-back boundaries off Liam Livingstone to get going post the break. The second of those was a slog sweep, a newish addition to his batting arsenal. It has already yielded him a lot of runs this season and he essayed it several times to perfection. The next time he brought it out, he nailed it as Livingstone turned back to watch the ball sail into the night sky.
The shot of the evening, though, came a few overs later. Arshdeep Singh landed one short of length to which Kohli’s response was a gorgeous uppercut. It was six the moment he hit it. He fell off the next ball for a thrill-a-minute 92 off 47 but unlike in some of the other games, there would be no complaints about this knock. The perfect marriage of intent and execution in the foothills of the Himalayas as RCB posted 241/7 which was more than enough. In the end, PBKS were all out for 181, falling short by 60 runs.
Brief scores: RCB 241/7 in 20 ovs (Kohli 92, Patidar 55, Green 46; Harshal 3/38) bt PBKS 181 in 17 ovs (Rilee 61; Swapnil 2/28).