In an incredible power-hitting show, Steven Smith and James Faulkner rattled up a match-winning 85-run stand from no where as Rajasthan Royals pulled off a stunning five-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore in an IPL match on Sunday.
Chasing a daunting 191 to win, Rajasthan were staring down the barrel after losing five wickets for 106 runs in 14th over but Smith (48 off 21) and Faulkner (41 off 17) combined well to find boundary after boundary.
In complete mayhem, the Australian duo scored the last 65 runs off just 17 balls to not only secure the win with seven balls to spare but also steal the thunder from Yuvraj Singh, who had roared back to form with a strokeful; 83 and followed it up with four wickets.
It all started in the 17th over as Faulkner creamed off two fours and a six off the fellow Australian Mitchel Starc. Smith began the next over, bowled by Ashoke Dinda, with a six and two shots to the fence.
Faulkner then finished it off quickly in the 19th over, punishing Varun Aaron with two sixes and a four, stunning the RCB camp and the home fans.
With this win, Rajasthan have strengthened their position in top-four although they remained in third position with 10 points. RCB are still at sixth place with six points.
Bangalore owed their big total to Yuvraj and AB de Villiers (58) as they shared a magnificent 132 run stand, which powered RCB to 190 for five after electing to bat.
Yuvraj, who was dropped on 47 by Sanju Samson, and de Villiers put up a gallant fight as RCB scored 84 runs in the last five overs to snatch the momentum from their rivals, who were well in command till 12 overs.
Sending the Rajasthan bowlers on a leather-hunt, the hosts belted 120 runs in the last eight overs.
Rajasthan too had to endure a bad start as Yuvraj rocked the visitors middle-order with his spin, starting the rot with the important wicket of skipper Shane Watson (1).
The left-armer also scalped Rajasthan’s top scorer Karun Nair (56), Stuart Binny (1) and very talented Sanju Samson (13) to end with figures of 4-0-35-4.
Rajasthan were reeling at 106 for five in the 14th over but what followed was complete mayhem. From nowhere, Smith in company of James Faulkner changed the game with their amazing ability to bat under pressure.
Steven Smith played a blinder, scoring 48 off 21 balls with four sixes and as many fours while Faulkner hit three sixes and three fours in his 17-ball knock.
Yuvraj, who received criticism for his slow batting and failures in this IPL, punished the bowlers with seven fours and seven sixes in 38-ball knock.
De Villiers, who is the most consistent batsman of RCB, continued with his splendid form in T20, punished the bowlers with five sixes and a four.
Yuvraj and de Villiers were competing in hitting fours and sixes towards the end of the innings after RCB had a disastrous start, losing three wickets for 40 runs in 8.1 overs.
Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Rajasthan Royals stats highlights: IPL 2014 Match No. 35 (cricketcountry.com)
# Steven Smith (48 not out off 21 balls) posted his highest score for Rajasthan in the IPL.
# AB de Villiers‘ 58 off 32 balls is his third half-century in the IPL 2014 — his 13th in the IPL.
# De Villiers, with 282 runs (ave.47.00) in nine matches, is the leading run-getter for Bangalore in the IPL 2014.
Overall, he has aggregated 1273 (ave.38.57) in 55 matches for Bangalore in the IPL.
# James Faulkner (41 not out off 17 balls) recorded his career-best score in Twenty20. His impressive strike rate of 241.17 is the highest by a Rajasthan batsman in the IPL 2014.
# Faulkner has got his fourth Man of the Match award in the IPL.
# Three times in the IPL, Rajasthan have successfully chased a total of 190 or more.
# Rajasthan have won seven games and lost six out of 13 played vs Bangalore in the IPL – winning rate of 53.84 per cent.
# Bangalore (190/5) have registered their highest total in the IPL 2014, eclipsing the 168 for eight vs Mumbai at Mumbai on May 6.
# Bangalore’s score is their highest vs Rajasthan in the IPL.
# Yuvraj Singh (83 off 38 balls) recorded a career-best score in Twenty20. The said innings is his seventh fifty in the IPL overall — his second in the present tournament.
# Yuvraj’s knock is the highest for Bangalore vs Rajasthan in the IPL. His superb strike rate of 218.42 is the highest by a Bangalore batsman in the present competition.
# Yuvraj became the first all-rounder to record an innings of 80 and bag four wickets in the same IPL match.
# Yuvraj (4 for 35) has recorded his second four-wicket haul in the IPL – his best are four for 29 against Delhi at Mumbai on April 17, 2011.
# Yuvraj became the first all-rounder to post 50 or more and claim four wickets in the same IPL match twice – his first occasion being 66 and four for 29 for Pune Warriors vs Delhi Daredevils (DD) at Mumbai (DYP) on April 17, 2011. Paul Valthaty and Kieron Pollard have accomplished the all-round feat of 50 and four wickets once each.
# Virat Kohli‘s performance in the present competition is below average – his tally being 144 (ave.18.00) in nine innings.
# Chris Gayle could not get going in the IPL 2014 – his aggregate being 108 (ave.21.60) in five innings.
# De Villiers and Yuvraj were associated in a fourth-wicket stand of 132 off 10.5 overs – the first century stand for Bangalore in the IPL 2014.
# The above stand is the highest fourth-wicket stand for Bangalore in the IPL. The said partnership is also Bangalore’s highest for any wicket against Rajasthan in the IPL. The 132-run stand is the highest fourth-wicket partnership by any pair against Rajasthan in the IPL.
# Pravin Tambe is the leading wicket-taker for Rajasthan in the IPL 2014 – 14 at 16.92 runs apiece.
# Karun Nair (56 off 39 balls) has recorded his third fifty in Twenty20 – his career-best is an unbeaten 73 50 balls vs Delhi at Delhi on May 3, 2014.
# James Faulkner and Steven Smith were involved in a stand of 85 (unbroken) for the sixth wicket — Rajasthan’s highest in the IPL, eclipsing the 83 (unbroken) between Graeme Smith and Yousuf Pathan vs Delhi at Centurion on April 28, 2009.
# Rajasthan players, Off their last 17 balls, made 65 runs to register an exciting victory.
