Guwahati, April 12: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Rajat Patidar acknowledged that despite scoring over 200, his team was outplayed by Rajasthan Royals' explosive batting, particularly singling out Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's impact as the key difference.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi led a powerful attack to start Rajasthan Royals' chase, easily dismantling Royal Challengers Bengaluru's bowling with bold shots, as the hosts continued to dominate with a 6-wicket win over RCB. The teenager played with remarkable audacity, his clean, powerful shots sending the ball to the boundary at will, with 15 of his 26 deliveries resulting in boundaries.
By the time he mis-hit one off Krunal Pandya, the damage was already done, putting Rajasthan Royals firmly in control. Although they experienced a brief wobble, slipping from 129/1 to 134/4, the foundation laid by Suryavanshi ensured the chase remained well within reach.
"Everyone would have loved to see Vaibhav bat. The way Vaibhav and Yashasvi bat, it feels like the pitch isn't offering much. The way we started in the powerplay, we lost wickets, and getting to 200+ was a positive sign for us. Similarly, their batters, especially Vaibhav, made the difference. I think the way we were batting in the last matches was brilliant. There are a lot of lessons to be learned from this game," said Patidar after the match.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru had a dramatic start as Jofra Archer dismissed Phil Salt with a sharp bouncer on the very first ball. Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal countered well, putting together a quick 45-run partnership in just 17 balls, but Rajasthan responded strongly. Archer removed Padikkal, while Ravi Bishnoi changed the game with two quick wickets, bowling Kohli and getting Krunal Pandya out. Sharp fielding from Shimron Hetmyer made things worse for RCB. Jitesh Sharma also got out shortly after, leaving RCB struggling at 76/5 in 8.4 overs.
Romario Shepherd offered a brief counterattack, scoring a rapid 22 before being dismissed by Ravindra Jadeja. Debutant Venkatesh Iyer then partnered with Rajat Patidar, shifting the momentum. Patidar went from a cautious start to a quick half-century, marked by several sixes. However, he ultimately fell to Sandeep Sharma. A late effort from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Iyer (29 off 15) helped RCB reach a good total of 201/8 in their 20-over quota.
Reflecting on the defeat, Patidar highlighted the positives with the bat but stressed the need to learn from mistakes, adding that while tactical calls like the Impact Player didn't significantly affect the result, RCB would closely analyze their errors in such a competitive tournament.
"Yeah, but not that much because Venky and Shepherd were there. We had to manage those overs with three bowlers. It wouldn't have made much difference. If you are playing this kind of competitive cricket, there will be a lot of errors. You have to look at them and learn from your mistakes."