Patidar fifty, gritty bowlers keep Royal Challengers in playoff race

Bengaluru, May 12: Royal Challengers Bengaluru kept their playoff dreams intact through Rajat Patidar’s blazing fifty and a strong-willed effort from the bowlers, who set up the hosts’ 47-run victory over Delhi Capitals in the IPL here on Sunday.
The target of 188 was not insurmountable, but the Capitals’ chase descended into disarray once they lost four wickets inside 3.3 overs upfront, eventually finishing at 140, with Axar Patel 57 (39b, 5×4, 3×6) playing a lone hand.
RCB now have 12 points from 13 matches – same as the Capitals – and need a win against Chennai Super Kings in the last league match here on May 18 to push their case for a playoff berth.
The Capitals also need a win in their final league game against Lucknow Super Giants on May 14 to stay in the hunt.
Cutting back to the match, Impact Player David Warner, who missed the action for close to a month due to a wrist injury, slog-swept left-arm spinner Swapnil Singh into the waiting hands of Will Jacks at deep.
The dismissal flagged off Capitals’ train of disaster. Left-arm pacer Yash Dayal (3/20) consumed Abhishek Porel, caught at covers by Lockie Ferguson, in the first ball of the third over.
Delhi suffered a body blow in the very next ball. The in-form Jack-Fraser McGurk, who smashed Mohammed Siraj for two fours and a six in the second over, backed up too far as Shai Hope’s straight drive rattled the stumps after taking a deflection of Dayal’s outstretched left-hand.
Siraj trapped Kumar Kushagra, who came in for the suspended Rishabh Pant, plumb in front with a nip-backer as DC slumped to 30 for four.Axar and Hope (29, 23b) added 56 runs for the fifth wicket off 36 balls but the partnership offered only temporary relief than any real hope to the visitors.
Axar, who took over the reins of DC in the absence of Pant, played a handy innings, but it just delayed the inevitable.The rest of the DC batters were bogged down by a confused mind, best exemplified by the run out of Tristan Stubbs. (PTI)