RCB overcomes RR challenge

Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell set up a thrilling seven-run win for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in their Indian Premier League 2023 match in Bengaluru on Sunday. Put in to bat, Glenn Maxwell (77 off 44 balls) and Faf du Plessis (62 off 39 balls) shared 127 runs for the third wicket from only 66 deliveries to power RCB to 189 for 9 in 20 overs. Devdutt Padikkal (52 off 34 balls) struck his maiden fifty of the season and Yashasvi Jaiswal made 47 for a 98-run partnership for the second wicket but the Royals were lagging behind in the run chase before gaining momentum in the last five overs. Jurel’s cameo of 34 not out off just 16 balls (2×4; 2×6) was not enough for the Royals as they fell short by seven runs in the end, reaching to 182 for 6 in 20 overs. Glenn Maxwell | Man of the Match: (On batting at number 4) It’s a position I don’t mind batting, I have done it for Australia when we lose early wickets. They have given me the freedom to go out there and express myself. Came into the season with good form, and have that trust from the changeroom, that makes the difference. New ball skidded on nicely, so we had to be busy and proactive. I think the way we ended the powerplay set the foundation, although there was a bit chaos in the end. (On the way he got out) I felt it was my job to bat deeper, it was a match-up that suited me and there was some poor execution on my part. I thought if I could just take a single, maybe I could have been useful towards the death overs. Allow the new batters to settle while I could attack. However, in the end just really happy with the win. Virat Kohli | RCB captain: To be honest, we had this discussion during toss. The pitch looked dry and I mentioned to the guys that they will have 10 overs under lights which is very difficult out here. The advantage was the ball got scuffed up. However, with the impact player rule and the extra batter, games are always on. That’s why so many close games. The counter-attack from Maxi and Faf was even better than the