PBKS vs RCB: Bengaluru lost wickets against Gujarat because of over-aggressive batting and not good bowling claims Mitchell McCleneghan

Former New Zealand pacer Mitchell McClenaghan opened up about Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) collapse during the recent match against the Gujarat Titans (GT). Mitchell McClenaghan stated that Royal Challengers Bengaluru adopted an aggressive batting approach to boost their net run rate (NRR).

The Faf du Plessis-led team bowled out the Gujarat Titans for 147 runs after winning the toss at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday, May 4. Pacers Mohammed Siraj, Yash Dayal, and Vijaykumar Vyshak took two wickets each. Cameron Green and Karn Sharma contributed one wicket each in the first innings.

In response, the home team got off to a flying start in the powerplay. Virat Kohli and skipper Faf du Plessis added 92 runs in 5.5 overs. Du Plessis reached his half-century off just 18 deliveries. However, he was dismissed for 64 runs off 23 balls, including 10 boundaries and three sixes in the final over of the powerplay.

Faf du Plessis' dismissal triggered a massive collapse in the RCB batting lineup. Will Jacks (1), Rajat Patidar (2), Glenn Maxwell (4), and Cameron Green (1) were dismissed for single-digit scores. Virat Kohli was dismissed for 42 runs off 27 balls, leaving the Bengaluru-based team in a challenging situation at 117/6.

Veteran wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik, batting at number 7, scored an unbeaten 21 runs off 12 balls with the help of three boundaries. Swapnil Singh also played a valuable cameo of 15 runs from nine balls. Swapnil finished the match with a six off Rashid Khan's bowling in the 14th over of the run chase.

They Were Trying To Get Their Net Run Rate - Mitchell McClenaghan

Speaking on ESPNcricinfo, Mitchell McClenaghan attributed Royal Challengers Bengaluru's middle-order collapse to a strategy aimed at improving their net run rate. McClenaghan suggested that RCB intended to chase the target as early as possible.

"You could see what they were trying to achieve, though, in all honesty, they were trying to get their net run rate as good as possible. I think 12.5 overs. If they chased it down within that time frame, they weren't going to get to net zero in terms of their net run rate. So they were just going out there and trying to go after it," McClenaghan told ESPNcricinfo.

They Were Just Going Over Aggressive - Mitchell McClenaghan

Mitchell McClenaghan suggested that the net run rate is going to be critical for RCB at the end of the league stage to secure a playoff berth. The former cricketer acknowledged RCB's victory as significant despite the challenges after the powerplay.

"I wouldn't have said Josh bowled exceptionally well. They just. They were just going over aggressive, trying to make sure that they improved their net run rate because it's going to be so critical for them at the end of this, and yet they had to dig in a little bit there at the end to try and at least get the win. But a significant win for them really was," McClenaghan added.

The Bengaluru team climbed to seventh place with eight points and NRR -0.049 following the victory against the Gujarat Titans. The team has secured four wins out of 11 matches in the ongoing tournament. They will next face the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Dharamshala on May 9, Thursday.

Also read: PBKS vs RCB: "Virat Kohli is under pressure even now.." - Wasim Akram

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