Bengaluru, 5 Apr

Tim David, skipper Rajat Patidar and Devdutt Padikkal went ballistic with marauding knocks while bowlers maintained fine lines as Royal Challengers Bengaluru crushed Chennai Super Kings by 43 runs in an IPL match here on Sunday.

Padikkal (50, 29 balls) and David (70 off 25b) gave a towelling to the clueless Super Kings bowlers in an exhibition of mind-blowing range-hitting, and Patidar supported them with an unbeaten 19-ball 48.

The end result of their collective belligerence was RCB’s imposing total of 250/3.

The Super Kings continued to be wimpy with the bat too, finishing at 207 all out in 19.4 overs as the five-time winners sank to their third straight defeat this season.

Once Sanju Samson, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ayush Mhatre walked back with just 30 on the board, CSK’s chase was doomed.

Pacer Jacob Duffy (2/58) did the bulk of damage in this phase, getting rid of Samson and Gaikwad as both fell to Padikkal at first slip.

Samson continued to misfire in the IPL for his new franchise post his inspired batting in the T20 World Cup.

The Kerala batter tried to be cute against Duffy, steering the ball with a perpendicular bat, whereas he should have attempted the easier option of a cut from that particular body position. He just managed a feeble nudge to Padikkal.

Mhatre’s wicket gave veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar his 200th IPL wicket, the second bowler to achieve the feat after Yuzvendra Chahal.

Sarfaraz Khan offered brave resistance with a 25-ball 50 but the target was way beyond them on the night.

Sarfaraz was taken out by Krunal Pandya (2/36) and Bhuvneshwar (3/41) returned to oust Prashant Veer (43) to end a 57-run alliance between him and Jamie Overton (37) as as the storied Southern Derby ended without any real spark.

Earlier, Royal Challengers’ march towards their second win on the bounce started when Devdutt constructed two crucial stands — 56 (37b) with Phil Salt (46) for second wicket and 58 (21b) for the third wicket with Patidar.

They were important alliances for RCB on a Chinnaswamy track with a hint of slowness in the beginning after CSK asked them to bat first.

Salt was the more dominant partner during the second wicket partnership that helped them get over the early dismissal of Virat Kohli (28), who was dropped on seven by Shivam Dube off Khaleel Ahmed.

Salt’s calculated aggression, a six each off Noor Ahmad and Anshul Kamboj, helped the home side finish the Power Play on a rather happy note of 51 for 1.

Salt did not last long post the six-over segment, giving a simple catch to Ahmad in the deep off Dube. The dismissal actually changed the tempo of RCB’s innings.

Devdutt, who was on 18 off 17 balls till that point, shifted a couple of gears upwards, and smashed Dube for two of sixes and a four as RCB’s run rate zoomed past the 10-run an over mark for the first time in the innings.

The left-hander fetched his second successive fifty of this IPL through a single off Matt Henry. But he could not stay longer in the middle as an attempt to reverse scoop Jamie Overton left his stumps in disarray.

But by then RCB had milked 62 runs between 11 and 15 overs. Once Devdutt trudged back, Patidar in the company of David built magnificently on the foundation.

The Bengaluru side was 153 for 3 after 15 overs, and they added a further 97 runs in the last five overs, also exploiting some poor lines by CSK bowlers at death.

Patidar and David were brutal during their fourth wicket association, as the ball flew to all corners of Chinnaswamy, adding 99 runs (36b) for the unbroken fourth wicket.

Patidar was severe on Khaleel, who kept pitching the ball in his wheelhouse, carting him for two sixes and a four in his fourth and final over.

David biffed Ahmad for three sixes in the 17th over to join the rampage.

The Australian made a mockery of Overton in the 19th over, carting him for four sixes, three in row, as CSK’s team and bowling frailties were exposed once again.