Quinton de Kock sped away at the start and JP Duminy controlled the middle overs to send Delhi Daredevils to 187 for 5, before rain in Bangalore washed the game out. The no-result left Royal Challengers Bangalore on 16 points. Having only won seven games so far, they will need another no-result in the final league game between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians to finish in the top two.
De Kock prospered in the arc between cover and deep midwicket to finish with 69 off 39. Having made most of his runs square of the wicket, Duminy remained unbeaten on 67 off 43, to put the finishing touches on a score that seemed daunting on a dry Chinnaswamy deck.
Harshal Patel would finish with the innings’ best figures of 2 for 30, but it was in his first over – the innings’ third – that de Kock began his surge. He drilled Harshal’s first ball to the straight boundary, then two deliveries later, slapped him behind point to collect another four. Ashok Dinda received similar treatment next over before Shreyas Iyer began to open his arms as well, soon carving a six over point off Mitchell Starc.
The openers made 54 from the Powerplay overs before Iyer was out cracking a ball straight to backward point. De Kock laid low for two overs then began to attack again in the ninth over. Davide Wiese was launched over long on, creamed down the ground, and slapped to midwicket off consecutive balls as de Kock raised his half-century in 30 deliveries. He hit two more straight sixes and an edged four off Dinda before the introduction of Yuzvendra Chahal’s legspin cut his innings short. Virat Kohli trekked back from cover to complete the catch.
Duminy walloped successive legside sixes in Chahal’s 14th over, which went for 18 runs, but tempered his advance when three quick wickets fell. The attack resumed in Harshal’s 19th over, after Duminy had reached 50 off 35 balls. That over disappeared for 16, with Saurabh Tiwary adding a six to the two fours Duminy struck.
Royal Challengers hit two runs in 1.1 overs before the rains came. They ceased for long enough for the umpires to reschedule a start just after 7pm, but a second bout of bad weather ended hopes of play.
KARTHIK FINED 20% OF MATCH FEE
Dinesh Karthik has been fined 20% of his match fee for breaching the IPL’s Code of Conduct during Royal Challengers Bangalore’s game against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday. Match referee Roshan Mahanama found Karthik guilty of a Level 1 offence of conduct “contrary to the spirit of the game”.
