A late shower forced the abandonment of Royal Challengers Bangalore’s IPL clash against Rajasthan Royals, at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here.
The contest was evenly balanced, when rain played spoilsport.
Long rain delay
After a long rain delay, the outing was reduced to a five-over shootout. RCB made 62 for seven, and in reply, Rajasthan moved to 41 for one in 3.2 overs.
The visitor needed 22 runs from 10 balls, before the heavens opened up. Sanju Samson (28, 13b, 2x4, 3x6) and Liam Livingstone (11 n.o., 7b) kept the visitor on track, but it was not to be.
The result puts RCB (9 points) out of contention for a playoff spot, while Rajasthan’s hopes hang by a thread.
After being put in, RCB skipper Virat Kohli and A.B. de Villiers gave the home team an electric start. Kohli smashed the first two balls of the innings — bowled by Varun Aaron — for two huge sixes, much to the delight of the vociferous supporters. De Villiers was on song as well, hitting Aaron for two boundaries in three balls.
Rajasthan's leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal came to the party in the second over, recording a hat-trick to stop a marauding RCB.
Kohli whacked Gopal for 10 runs in his first two deliveries of the over, before he holed out to long-on. The dangerous de Villiers then miscued a big hit, lobbing a catch to deep cover. Gopal made it three in three when he got Marcus Stoinis to slap a fuller one straight to Smith at mid-off.
RCB struggled to get going after this setback, losing a further four wickets in the three remaining overs. Pacers Jaydev Unadkat (one for nine) and Oshane Thomas (two for six) kept RCB on a tight leash, as did spinner Riyan Parag (one for 10).
Earlier, heavy rain delayed the start of the match.
The downpour was persistent, ending only two hours after the toss.
The excellent SubAir drainage system ensured that the outfield was dry in quick time, but there were concerns surrounding the damp pitch.
The ground staff worked hard to remove the moisture from the playing surface, and after a few inspections, the umpires decided to start play at 11:26 p.m.. The big crowd, which had waited patiently for more than three hours, was thrilled when RCB openers Kohli and de Villiers came out to bat.
But, the night ended the way it began — with another downpour.
