Watch: Virat Kohli Lauds His Bowlers For Defending A Sub-170 Total Against SRH After RCB’s 10-Run Win

Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore [RCB] got off to a winning start to their 2020 Dream11 IPL campaign as they defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by 10 runs on Monday.

Having put into bat, RCB got off to a whirlwind start thanks to a swashbuckling half-century by the debutant Devdutt Padikkal. Padikkal had come into the tournament on the back of a stellar 2019 domestic campaign, where he finished as the leading run-scorer in both Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare 50-over tournament, and on Monday, he displayed just why he is being rated as the next big thing in Indian cricket.

The southpaw flayed the Sunrisers Hyderabad bowling attack to all corners of the ground to bring up his maiden IPL century on debut. Padikkal became the 8th Indian and the first batsman from the country since Kedar Jadhav [in 2010] to notch up a 50-plus score on IPL debut.

Padiakkal’s flamboyance was backed up AB de Villiers, who chipped with a half-century to help RCB post 163 in 20 overs.

Also Read- Devdutt Padikkal Becomes The First Indian In 10 Years To Hit 50 On IPL Debut

Virat Kohli and his RCB teammates celebrate their win over SRH

Defending 164, RCB’s fast bowlers in Umesh Yadav and Dale Steyn struggled considerably but Yuzvendra Chahal’s magical spell of 3-18- where he claimed the wicket of Jonny Bairstow and Vijay Shankar in two successive deliveries- proved to be the gamechanger as SRH lost their last eight wickets for a mere 32 runs.

Apart from Chahal, Navdeep Saini [2-25] had a brilliant night with the ball. The fast bowler consistently jammed in yorkers and was very disciplined in his line and lengths.

This is the first time that RCB have won their opening game of the season since 2016. Incidently, it was Sunrisers Hyderabad, who they defeated four years ago in their opening fixture.

Post the 10-run win, the Virat .Kohli-led RCB was in jovial mode, as is evident from the video posted by the franchise social media handle

“A comeback and a half’ says Captain Virat Kohli, as the RCB players rejoice in the dressing room after their 10-run win against SRH. Watch how the players expressed their emotions after the game,” read RCB caption on the video post.

‘A comeback and a half’ says Captain Virat Kohli, as the RCB players rejoice in the dressing room after their 10-run win against SRH.

Watch how the players expressed their emotions after the game. #PlayBold #WeAreChallengers #SRHvRCB #Dream11IPL pic.twitter.com/0KslENJdnM

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) September 22, 2020

In the same video, skipper Virat Kohli lauded his bowling-unit for defending a sub-170 total, considering the fact that it was difficult to control the ball due to dew.

“The fact that we won defending a total, which was not even 170 was not something we have done in the past. On a pitch which was difficult for the bowlers in the second half because of the dew. We saw that in-game between Kings XI vs Delhi that it was difficult to for the bowlers to control the ball in the end. So, boys showed a lot of character,” Virat Kohli said.

RCB will now lock horns with KXIP in Dubai on Thursday.