IPL 2021, RCB vs RR as it happened: Devdutt Padikkal’s ton, Virat Kohli’s 72 hand RCB 10-wicket win

IPL 2021 points table, fixtures, results: RCB reclaim top spot with four wins out of four

Player of the match: Devdutt Padikkal (101* of 52 balls)

Virat Kohli on Devdutt Padikkal: “Great talent, one to watch out for in the future. Tonight I had the best seat in the house and thoroughly enjoyed his innings”

Post-match reaction:

Virat Kohli-Devdutt Padikkal partnership: 181*

- The record opening partnership for RCB

- The highest all-Indian partnership for RCB

- Fourth highest (Following Kohli-ABD, Kohli-ABD, Gayle-Kohli)

- Kohli now features in RCB’s top 4 partnerships 

RCB WIN BY 10 wickets: An unbeaten partnership between Kohli and Padikkal, and RCB keep up their winning run. What a start to their season. The match ends with a wide that goes for four.

CENTURY! What a moment for Devdutt Padikkal. A 51-ball century, his first in IPL. 11 fours, 6 sixes. Brilliant innings. Gets there with a four, creamed through cover.

After 16 overs, RCB 170/0: A streaky boundary for DDP over third, and he moves on to 97. Kohli plays out a dot ball. DDP on strike.

After 15 overs, RCB 162/0: Just three singles in that Fizz over. And we have a *strategic* timeout.

All this talk on commentary about how Devdutt Padikkal *must* reach his century, here’s a replug for something we published this season:

After 14 overs, RCB 159/0: Padikkal is now on to 90, and he played a superb reverse sweep for four in that Gopal over. But once it is Kohli lighting up proceedings at the moment with a six and four. He has completely blown Gopal away today.

HALF CENTURY FOR VIRAT KOHLI! The RCB captain’s first of the season and he is timing the ball like a dream right now. 50 off 34 balls. Hit a superb six in that Morris over.

After 12 overs, RCB 129/0: No 33 off 29 today for Virat Kohli. (We kid, we kid) He has played the second fiddle rightfully so today but is starting to find the boundaries with ease now. Two in that over by Sakariya.

After 11 overs, RCB 117/0: Maybe Kohli will also tee off soon. A brilliantly placed four past square leg. (He is batting on 33 off 28... cannot be 33 off 29 surely again?)

After 10 overs, RCB 107/0: A century opening partnership comes up with possibly the shot of the night so far. A brilliant pick-up shot over square leg off The Fizz. RCB captain has had the best seat in the house to witness a sensational display of ball-striking. He is enjoying what he’s seeing!

Virat Kohli 26 (24)

Devdutt Padikkal 80 (36)

After 9 overs, RCB 96/0: Virat Kohli has the best seat in the house for the DDP show. Back-to-back sixes in Tewatia’s over, one down the ground and one over square leg! Devdutt Padikkal is playing quite a fabulous knock at Wankhede. So much style, so much elegance. Has raced to 72 off 33 balls.

After 8 overs, RCB 81/0: A lovely lofted six by Padikkal to finish that Parag over.

HALF CENTURY! A superb fifty for Devdutt Padikkal. He moves to 52 off 27 balls with another boundary. A lofted cover drive. The left-hander has looked in great touch tonight.

After 7 overs, RCB 67/0: Padikkal is keeping the foot on the gas for now. A lovely cut shot for four in that over as Tewatia comes on. Timeout taken, RR in desperate need of wickets.

After 6 overs, RCB 59/0: What a powerplay for RCB! In complete contrast to RR’s struggles early on, Virat Kohli and, especially, Devdutt Padikkal are off to a filer in the run-chase. Padikkal has raced to 41 off 22 balls. A six off the last ball of that over against Sakariya.

After 5 overs, RCB 49/0: Padikkal on song! A four and a six in the Mustafizur over. The left-hander is looking like he is enjoying the hard new ball coming on to the bat.

After 4 overs, RCB 39/0: Padikkal is looking in great touch here. A couple of boundaries over the offside, manipulating the field brilliantly. Morris goes for 15 in his first over as Kohli puts one away down the leg side.

After 3 overs, RCB 24/0: Shreyas Gopal might have come on to test Kohli but Padikkal is using the matchup to his favour, hitting a couple of lofted sweeps for four.

REPLUG: The painful yet inspiring journey of Chetan Sakariya, Rajasthan Royals’ latest debutant

After 2 overs, RCB 14/0: Chetan Sakariya from the other end. A four for Padikkal through midwicket in what was otherwise a tidy over.

After 1 over, RCB 8/0: A six in the first over for Virat Kohli. Terrific lofted shot down the ground against Shreyas Gopal as he got to the pitch of that one nice and early. Good over otherwise by Gopal.

STAT: Shreyas Gopal has dismissed Kohli 3 times in 5 previous match-ups.

Well, well. RR wasting no time in testing Gopal’s match-up against RCB.

09.35 pm: If there is not much dew around, RR have the bowlers to use the cutters well on this surface. But given how good the RCB batting lineup fared in Chennai, they would fancy to do well in this chase. And Virat Kohli is due a score. Tonight the night?

Boxing: India’s Gitika, Chanu, Poonam win gold medals at Youth World Championship in Poland

Innings break: From 18/3 and 43/4, Royals have done well to reach 177/9 in 20 overs. Tewatia reckons the cutters are stopping on this pitch and it can be a tricky surface to get going.

End of 20 overs, RR 177/9: Harshal Patel proves expensive tonight (3/47) but the wicket of Morris early in the last over might have helped RCB save a few runs. Shreyas Gopal hit a six in that over to take RR close to the 180 mark which is a superb recovery.

19.1 and 19.2: BACK-TO-BACK WICKETS! The Purple Cap-holder Harshal Patel has three wickets tonight. Chris Morris and Chetan Sakariya out off the first 2 balls of the last over. The SA allrounder scoops one to short fine, then the rookie misreads a slower ball. 170/9.

Over 18.6: WICKET! 6-2-4 and OUT! Rahul Tewatia played a little gem for Royals here as the 170 comes up in the 19th over with a cheeky scoop over the the keeper for 4. Tewatia out for 40 off 23 balls. Siraj with the wicket. Importantly, they didn’t run. Morris remains on strike for the last over. 170/7 after 19 overs.

After 18 overs, RR 157/6: Morris tees off. Indiscipline costs Jamieson. A couple of wides in that over, and the extra ball comes back to haunt him at the end as a full toss is sent soaring over long on.

After 17 overs, RR 145/6: Was shaping into a decent over by Harshal but Tewatia finishes it a four with a lofted shot through offside, behind square. He is playing a little gem here.

Over 15.3: WICKET! End of a good innings from Shivam Dube. He is out for 46 off 32 balls, and is disappointed evidently to not have finished this innings off. Maxwell with a good catch. Richardson strikes for RCB with his change of pace. That really was a sharp catch diving forward at long on by Maxwell. RR 133/6.

After 15 overs, RR 128/5: Tewatia with a superb reverse sweep for four off Washi. He’s off to a fiery start here.

Good news, DC fans:

After 14 overs, RR 120/5: A wicket but another expensive over from Harshal. A six and four down the leg side by Tewatia. RR keep the momentum going. There is still Morris and Shreyas left to bat.

Over 13.3: WICKET! FOUR AND OUT! Not for the first time tonight, a special shot is followed by a dismissal. Parag hits a superb helicopter shot for four, then tries to play the paddle but is out caught at third man. Harshal strikes and gives a bit of a send-off to the youngster. RR 109/5.

After 13 overs, RR 104/4: Jamieson comes back and nearly has a wicket end of that over. Parag checks his shot and it is almost a brilliant catch diving forward by Kohli. Parag had hit a superb lofted drive for four earlier in the over.

After 12 overs, RR 96/4: BIG OVER! After Back-to-back boundaries for Parag against Harshal and both are streaky. First an outside edge and then a mishit lofted shot, over point. Siraj receives a stare from Kohli. That was an ordinary fielding effort as he neither went for the catch nor covered the spin of the ball. Dube finishes the over with a well-placed guided shot past short third.

Purple cap holder Harshal Patel into the attack

After 11 overs, RR 81/4: Royals keep the scoring rate at a decent clip. Another boundary for Dube in that over as he ramps a short ball from Richardson.

Correction: After 10 overs, RR 70/4: A decent recovery this by RR, led by Dube’s innings. They still have batting to come, can they post a fighting total?

Washington to continue with Dube and Parag in the middle.

Some momentum for RR as we have a timeout.

After 9 overs, RR 64/4: BIG OVER FOR ROYALS! Shivam Dube is finding his hitting range at his home ground against his former team! Two superbly struck sixes off Yuzi Chahal’s bowling, on his knees and into the stands. There were four byes as well in that over.

Over 7.2: WICKET! SIX AND OUT! After a big hit on the leg side, Sanju Samson lobs one to Glenn Maxwell at short midwicket. Washington Sundar strikes as the procession continues for RR. 43/4 and in deep trouble, the Royals.

After 7 overs, RR 37/3: A tidy first over by Chahal as we spin for the first time. Dube has joined his captain in the middle, he will look for a score against his former team.

After 6 overs, RR 32/3: Sanju Samson brings some relief for his side with a couple of boundaries in Richardson’s over but the powerplay well and truly belonged to RCB.

After 5 overs, RR 22/3: A moment to reflect on what a bowler Siraj has become for RCB. He is just in tremendous rhythm at the moment.

Over 4.3: WICKET! A sensational yorker from Siraj and Miller time is over quickly. Given not out, but the ball is hitting the shoe first, great review by Kohli. What a start for RCB!

RR 17/2 in 4 overs: The replays of Vohra’s dismissal in this match and against DC are strikingly similar. Slot balls, lofted to the fielder at mid-on.

Samson and Miller in the middle.

Over 3.5: WICKET! Manan Vohra’s frustrations continue. He is an enigma wrapped in a mystery. A good-looking shot or two, but then goes for a big shot and gets dismissed. Jamieson strikes, Richardson with a good high catch.

After 3 overs, RR 14/1: What an over by Siraj. One run and the massive wicket of Buttler.

Over 2.3: WICKET! The breakthrough that RCB would have dearly wanted early. Siraj keeps his length and line steady even as Buttler moves away. The Englishman misses the ball completely, the stumps are rattled. A case of you miss, I hit. Delight for RCB.

After 2 overs, RR 13/0: After playing and missing a few length balls from Jamieson, Vohra latches on to a short ball and plays a front-foot pull to get going. That should give him confidence, but he needs to do more than play one or two good-looking shots in his innings.

After 1 over, RR 8/0: Siraj does brilliantly to cut Buttler in half with one that nipped back in but the Englishman finishes the over with a couple of boundaries through the leg side. The powerplay is going to crucial for both sides, RR tend to struggle in this phase and RCB will hope for a few breakthroughs.

RR are persisting with Manan Vohra at the top, he needs to repay the faith at some point. Jos Buttler is opening with him. Siraj to start off for RCB.

07.23 pm: Overall head-to-head is at 10-10. The last five matches too, the record is level at 2-2. It is a tight contest, but on paper RCB start as favourites tonight.

Confirmation of the team news:

7.10 pm: We witnessed a sensational match last night in Mumbai as #CSK went top of the table after a thrilling against KKR. Here’s a look at what made that match an instant classic:

From Chennai’s dominance to Kolkata’s resurgence: How KKR vs CSK turned into an IPL classic

TEAM NEWS: Virat Kohli must get used to this winning the toss thing. He was confused there, asking Sanju Samson what he wanted to do without realising. RCB bring in Kane Richardson for Rajat Patidar, RR bring in Shreyas Gopal (who has a good record against RCB) instead of Unadkat.

TOSS: Virat Kohli has won the toss and has opted to bowl first at the Wankhede Stadium

PREVIEW: Royal Challengers Bangalore look to extend unbeaten start as they take on RR in Mumbai

Hello and welcome to the live coverage of match No 15 in the Indian Premier League.

Royal Challengers Bangalore have started the tournament brilliantly, with three wins out of three. Rajasthan Royals have impressed in patches but have only one win to show for in their three matches. Sanju Samson and Co will hope to pull off a win against RCB who play their first match in Mumbai tonight.