The match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals in the TATA IPL 2023 on April 23, 2023, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru was full of exciting moments. It was a must-win game for both teams, but RCB came out victorious, winning by seven runs in a thrilling finish.
RCB posted a daunting total of 189/9, thanks to Faf du Plessis's brilliant 62 off 39 and Glenn Maxwell's explosive 77 off 44. Chasing 190, Rajasthan Royals started well with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Devdutt Padikkal hitting boundaries frequently. Jaiswal, in particular, played well with four fours in three overs and a huge six off Maxwell. They reached 41/1 at the end of the Powerplay.
The duo continued to keep the scoreboard ticking, hitting at least one boundary per over and taking RR to 92/1 at the halfway mark. Padikkal brought up his fifty off 30 balls, but Willey provided a much-needed breakthrough for RCB, having him caught at long-on for 52(34). The pressure then got to Jaiswal, who holed out in the deep for 47(37) off a slower ball from Harshal Patel. RR could manage just 16/2 in the 11-14 over phase.
Samson finally released the pressure valve by hitting a four and a six off Wanindu Hasaranga and then a four against Harshal Patel. But Harshal hit back hard, having Samson caught at short third man for 22(15) as the equation read 61 needed off 24 balls. Dhruv Jurel tried to inject momentum by hitting two fours off Siraj and taking 15 from the over. However, a topsy-turvy over followed as Jurel hit a six first ball off Willey, but then a sensational direct-hit saw Suyash Prabhudessai run out Shimron Hetmyer as the equation came down to 33 off 12.
Siraj started the penultimate over well, giving away just five runs off the first four balls. But then Jurel hit a flat six, flicking one over long leg for a six. A quick couple off the last ball made it 13 off the over. With 20 needed off the last over, Ashwin top-edged a slower delivery from Harshal Patel over the keeper for a streaky four off the first ball.
Ashwin dug a yorker to the leg side off the next ball and scampered through for a couple as RCB missed a run-out chance. Ashwin swiped the third ball wide of short fine leg for a four to bring the equation down to 10 needed off 3. Harshal's slower delivery finally worked as he had Ashwin caught at deep mid-wicket off a mistimed heave. RR sent Impact Player Abdul Basith at No 8, but he could take just a single off the pull on his first ball. With 9 needed off the last ball, Jurel cut one straight to point for a single, and RCB won by seven runs. Jurel remained unbeaten on 34 off 16.
Earlier, RCB won the toss and elected to bat first. Despite losing Virat Kohli off the first ball of the innings, they managed to post a daunting total. Rajasthan Royals made a valiant effort to chase it down but fell just short in the end. It was an enthralling contest that kept the fans at the edge of their seats until the very last ball.