Highlights IPL 2017 RCB vs RPS in Bengaluru, cricket scores and results: RPS pull off 27-run win

Most bowled dismissals in an IPL match:

9 RCB v KXIP,Bangalore,2015
9 RCB v KXIP,Bangalore,2017
8 RCB v DD,Bangalore,2017

Ben Stokes is the Man of the Match for his performance with the ball (4-0-18-3).

AB de Viliiers on the mike said that 200 is what he expected on this wicket. Eventually, it seems the players and pundits alike had mis read the pitch.  High number of batters bowled shows how difficult it was to time the slower balls.  160 finally proved enough, and RPS keep themselves alive in the tournament.

RCB have traditionally been slow starters. But this losing trend at home has been awful. The option to use slow pitch has backfired and the team is struggling to chase even small targets. RPS’ 162 was gettable. But RPS bowled to a plan and kept scoring rate in check. 27 run win in a low scoring match is huge. RCB need to relook strategy and playing eleven. They now need to win 6 of remaining 9 matches to qualify.

161 runs defended by RPS today is the lowest total defended by any team against RCB at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore. The previous lowest was 165 by KKR in 2012

This is the first match RPS have won in IPL while batting first. Before this match, they lost nine matches while batting first.

Lowest totals defended v RCB at Bangalore in IPL:

161 by RPS in 2017

165 by KKR  in 2012

178 by CSK in 2008

Pune's bowlers were fantastic, but don't forget Manoj Tiwary's knock which gave his team hopes of a win

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) April 16, 2017

Must admit read pitch wrong. In the context Pune's all round show quite superb. Misery mounts for B'lore. 2 games at home lost in succession

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) April 16, 2017

After 20 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 134/9 ( Sreenath Aravind 6 , Yuzvendra Chahal 1)

Stokes bowls the last over of the RCB innings. Aravind fails to connect in the first two balls while looking to go for the big shots, getting a bye in the second ball. Milne loses his off-stump in the third ball, which brings Chahal to the crease, and gets off the mark with a single in the first ball that he faces. Just a single for Aravind in the fifth ball, with Chahal meekly defending in the last ball. Stokes finishes with figures of 3/18 from four overs. 

Rising Pune Supergiant defeat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 27 runs! It also happens to be the lowest total ever defended at the M Chinnaswamy by a visiting team!

OUT! Stokes now hits Milne’s off-stump. Looked like another slow ball, with Milne bringing up bat down in the shot a little too quickly, missing the inside-edge and paying the price as a result. RCB 132/9

Adam Milne b Stokes 2(3)

After 19 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 131/8 ( Adam Milne 2 , Sreenath Aravind 5)

Terrific penultimate over by Unadkat, skittling Badree’s middle-stump while conceding just 6 off it (without a single boundary). Pune just one over away from a win now!

BOWLED EM! Now Unadkat helps himself to some timber curry! Bowls a slower one to Badree, and uproots the middle stump! It’s all over for the home side now! RCB 126/8
 
Samuel Badree b Unadkat 0(1)

After 18 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 125/7 ( Adam Milne 1 , )

Thakur to bowl the 18th over. Couple of runs in the first ball after Negi miscues towards the backward square-leg region, where it lands just beyond Tahir. SIX! Negi makes room for himself, and hammers it towards the long-off boundary for a flat one! Negi looks to go big towards the leg side next ball, but gets a top-edge after a change of pace by Thakur. Terrific effort by Stokes in the next ball, Binny slogs the fourth ball towards the long-on boundary, where Stokes grabs hold of the ball, and throws it back in in the last moment. Thakur ends his spell by castling Binny’s middle stump! 

RCB need 37 off 12 balls.

RCB getting a boundary in 6 overs tells its own tale. There were 38 deliveries between ABD and Bunny’s fours. RPS bowlers have cleverly kept pitching short of length on slow low pitch making scoring boundaries extremely difficult. RCB’s plans have backfired very badly

Well pace off the ball has been the formula for RPS from day one of this tournament, but the personnel have been different. After playing three spinners last game, they have used four pace bowlers in this one. But all four have been fantastic with their slower balls, and that’s the reason why RPS are in a winning position. 

BOWLED EM! That should virtually end RCB’s hopes! Binny shuffles far to his right, and ends up losing his middle stump to a yorker from Thakur! RCB 125/7

OUT! Negi miscues a slower ball from Thakur, getting caught by Tripathi near the square-leg boundary. That’s the second wicket for Thakur! RCB 123/6

Pawan Negi c Tripathi b Thakur 11(7)

After 17 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 115/5 ( Stuart Binny 17 , Pawan Negi 2)

Dan Christian, who has been quite economical so far in the innings, is introduced in the 17th over. SIX! Binny now gets his first six by pulling a slower ball from Christian towards the spectators beyond the square-leg boundary. Looks like the spectators aren’t giving the ball back, forcing the umpire to call for a change of ball. Top-edge off Binny’s bat in the last ball of the over. Christian had given away 13 runs in the three overs so far, and ends up conceding as many in his final over. 

RCB need 47 off 18 balls.

After 16 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 102/5 ( Stuart Binny 6 , Pawan Negi 0)

Stokes into his third over. FOUR! First boundary in 11 overs, and it is Binny who finally gets it. Watson hammers the third ball of the over towards extra cover, before getting his middle-stump uprooted by the all-rounder in the penultimate delivery, bringing Pawan Negi to the centre. 10 runs and a crucial wicket in this over. 

RCB need 60 off 24 balls.

BOWLED EM! After getting struck for two boundaries, Stokes finally pulls back by getting rid of Watson!  The all-rounder fires a slower one along the middle-stump line this time, with the ball staying low to get Watson’s inside-edge, ultimately rattling timber. RCB in deep, deep trouble right now. RCB 101/5

Shane Watson b Stokes 14(18)

After 15 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 92/4 ( Shane Watson 10 , Stuart Binny 1)

Unadkat too returns. starts off with a couple of slower balls, before bowling a bouncer that is called a wide for being too high. The pressure of getting a boundary gets the better of Jadhav ends up playing the slower ball onto his leg-stump. Stuart Binny is the new man at the crease, and gets off the mark with a single off the last ball. Five runs and a wicket off this over. 

RCB need 70 off 30 balls.

BOWLED EM! Jadhav comes down the ground, and gets an inside-edge onto his leg stump! Pressure of getting a desperately-needed boundary got the better of him, and he was done in by the slower ball from Unadkat, who thanks the heavens for the timely wicket. RCB 91/4

Kedar Jadhav b Unadkat 18(22)

Critical spell from Imran Tahir. After being taken for 50 runs in four overs in the last game, Tahir and RPS will both be happy to see him return to strike bowler status. Required run rate above 11 now. No fours for the last 56 balls, say the comms. With spin being hard to get away, will Smith be tempted to use Chahar in the last six?

After 14 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 87/3 ( Kedar Jadhav (W) 17 , Shane Watson 8)

Thakur back into the attack, with the pressure now starting to get the better of RCB. Watson pulls the second ball of the voer towards the wide long-on boundary, where Stokes saves a couple of runs for the visitors. Watson tries swinging his bat in the next three balls, but fails to connect on each occasion. Gets a single off the last ball to retain the strike. Just one six and no fours in the last 10 overs of RCB’s innings! 

RCB need 75 off 36 balls.

Lowest SRs for AB de Villiers in an IPL match: (Min.30 balls)

93.75 v MI at Dubai in 2014
96.67 v RPS at Bangalore in 2017*
105.56 v MI at Bangalore in 2011

The 10th, 11th and 12th overs have been pedestrian for RCB. 15 runs & loss of ABD’s wicket. RCB has Binny and Negi in pavilion yet to bat. But jadav 14 from 16 balls must get a move on. Tiwary’s late assault on Watson in 19th over seems to be hurting RCB.  Just 7 overs to go and 79 runs needed. Tahir’s 4 overs were restrictive. Now rcb must move on

After 13 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 83/3 ( Kedar Jadhav (W) 16 , Shane Watson 5)

Tahir into his final over, and keeps it tight, giving away just five singles off the over. That the two batsmen at the crease are scoring at a rate below 100 is a worrying sign for the home side. Full credit to Tahir and Christian for a tight spell that has kept RCB under check. The umpire signals for the second timeout at the end of this over. 

RCB need 79 off 42 balls.

@msdhoni never seems to miss a stumping and is faster than anyone I have seen at the craft! Still a champ! #RCBvRPS

— Rajdeep Sardesai (@sardesairajdeep) April 16, 2017

ABD's wicket could be massive factor in this match...

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) April 16, 2017

Struggle against spin & cutters by B'lore batsmen puts pitch in perspective: 170 should be daunting score too so Pune didnt bat too badly

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) April 16, 2017

That MSD stumping was an event. That's what he brings to the IPL. #RCBvRPS

— Gaurav Sethi (@BoredCricket) April 16, 2017

After 12 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 78/3 ( Kedar Jadhav (W) 13 , Shane Watson 3)

Christian into his third over. Starts off with a wide. Miscue by Jadhav in the second delivery, though it lands safely near mid-on. Five singles follow, as the Aussie finishes another decent over. The asking rate is starting to climb, and the Jadhav-Watson duo need a few big hits now if they are to remain in the chase. 

RCB need 84 off 48 balls.

Off in a flash ⚡. Just like that - A @msdhoni special! #RCBvRPS #IPL - @RPSupergiants pic.twitter.com/pRYUkJRmI4

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 16, 2017

A mixture of some good bowling and waiting game batting has seen the required run rate go over 9. Dan Christian has been miserly, mixing up his pace and length well. Rahul Chahar is yet to have a bowl, how confident will Smith be in using him in the latter half of the game?

After 11 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 72/3 ( Kedar Jadhav (W) 10 , Shane Watson 1)

Another huge wicket for Pune in the 11th over, with Tahir deceiving AB de Villiers with length and turn to get him stumped — Dhoni as usual doing the rest with his lightning-quick reflexes. Just five runs and the wicket in the over, and Pune are right back in the game! 

RCB need 90 off 54 balls.

OUT! AB de Villiers looks to go for an on-drive and misses. Just that his foot is fractionally out. Dhoni collects the ball and whips the bails off in a fraction of a second — usual Dhoni business! RCB 70/3

AB de Villiers st Dhoni b Tahir 29(30)

After 10 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 69/2 ( AB de Villiers 29 , Kedar Jadhav (W) 8)

Christian brought back into the attack. ABD looks to shuffle to his left in the fourth ball, before getting back to position, attempting a scoop and missing. Good over from Pune’s perspective, with four coming off it.  

RCB need 95 off 60 balls.

After 9 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 63/2 ( AB de Villiers 28 , Kedar Jadhav (W) 6)

Tahir into his second over. De Villiers and Jadhav exchange a couple of singles, before the former gets down on one knee to launch the ball over the wide long-off boundary! Typical AB! 10 off the over. 

RCB need 99 off 66 balls.

After 8 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 53/2 ( AB de Villiers 20 , Kedar Jadhav (W) 4)

Stokes into his second over. De Villiers brings up the team 50 in the fourth ball. Wide conceded down ABD’s leg side in the last ball. De Villiers square-drives the last ball towards sweeper cover, where Rahane dives forward to save three runs for RPS.

Seems like a lot of CSK support for RPS. That’s only thing that can explain the celebration at fall of Kohli’s wicket. RCB have lost one of their 4 main batters. Even before Their came into bowl. 42 for 2 in 6

Despite dropping Kohli for very little, it has been a decent power play for RPS. They haven’t let the game get away from them like they did in the last game, and some wickets could keep them in the hunt. Cue Imran Tahir, stage right.

After 7 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 49/2 ( AB de Villiers 18 , Kedar Jadhav (W) 3)

South African leg-spinner Imran Tahir introduced in the first over after the first timeout. De Villiers plays the first ball towards square of leg, and forces Jadhav to come back for a rapid second, much to the latter’s unease. Christian saves a couple of runs at the cow-corner boundary with a brave effort. Seven off Tahir’s first over of the evening.

After 6 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 42/2 ( AB de Villiers 14 , Kedar Jadhav (W) 0)

Stokes is introduced for the first time in the final powerplay over, and by getting the massive wicket of Kohli, he gives Pune a tiny ray of hope of defending their sub-par total. Just three runs and a wicket for the English all-rounder in his first over. Jadhav walks out to bat after Kohli’s departure.

OUT! Stokes gets the breakthough, and gets the HUGE wicket of Kohli! The RCB skipper came down the track, and Stokes reduced his length to get to head height. Kohli remained committed to what looked like a cross between a pull and a tennis forehand shot, and ended up miscuing to Rahane at sweeper cover. RCB 41/2

Virat Kohli c Rahane b Stokes 28(19)

After 5 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 39/1 ( Virat Kohli (C) 27 , AB de Villiers 12)

Dan Christian introduced into the attack in the fifth over, and ends up conceding just four off it with three dots. Kohli, meanwhile, looks set to launch himself towards a second successive half-century.

This is paradise @imVkohli and @ABdeVilliers17 batting together for @RCBTweets 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼 pic.twitter.com/1S6NPdV0sX

— Daniel Smith (@13DSmith) April 16, 2017

After 4 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 35/1 ( Virat Kohli (C) 24 , AB de Villiers 11)

Thakur into his fourth over. FOUR! The ball flies just wide of Stokes at backward point after getting a thick outside edge off Kohli’s bat, with the ball running away to the boundary. FOUR! The captain flicks away towards the midwicket boundary to end the over, with 10 coming off it.

After 3 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 25/1 ( Virat Kohli (C) 15 , AB de Villiers 10)

Unadkat continues from the other end. Single for Kohli in the first ball. SIX! ABD pulls the last ball of the over towards the wide long-on boundary, where it lands just short of the Vitara Brezza that’s on display. Nearly caused a dent on that one.

After 2 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 18/1 ( Virat Kohli (C) 14 , AB de Villiers 4)

Thakur bowling from the other end. Kohli goes for the pull, but improvises in the last second to send the ball down the ground. DROPPED! My oh my! Thakur gets a thick edge off Kohli’s bat straight to the slips, where Tiwary puts down one the easiest of chances! The ball just pops out of his hands. Kohli dropped on 11, and that might go on to haunt Tiwary should the RCB skipper go on to get a big score tonight. AB de Villiers walks out to bat after Mandeep’s dismissal, and gets off the mark first ball with a cut towards the backward point boundary.

OUT! Thakur finally gets a wicket in this over, with Kohli getting dropped a couple of deliveries ago! Another back-of-length ball outside off, which Mandeep edges to Dhoni. RCB 14/1

Mandeep Singh c Dhoni b Thakur 0(3)

Lowest totals defended at Bangalore in IPL:

156 by RCB v MI in 2013

156 by RCB v DC in 2008

157 by RCB v DD in 2012

157 by RCB v DD in 2017

165 by KKR v RCB in 2012

After 1 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 7/0 ( Virat Kohli (C) 7 , Mandeep Singh 0)

SIX! Kohli flicks the third ball of the over to himself, as well as the team, off the mark! Pats the ball in the same direction next delivery to gather a single. Couple of dots to end the over.

Virat Kohli and Mandeep Singh get RCB underway. Jayadev Unadkat starts the bowling for RPS

162 Is Target For #RCB. Considering They Have Virat Kohli & #ABDevilliers, #RPS Are About 100 Runs Short. #RPSvRCB #RCBvRPS #IPL #IPL2017

— Sir Jadeja fan (@SirJadeja) April 16, 2017

#RPS finish the first innings at 161/8. Some good bowling by #RoyalChallengers Can't wait for the exciting chase #RCBvRPS #VIVOIPL #PlayBold pic.twitter.com/CAs2Ntob2T

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) April 16, 2017

Did you know?

Today’s six by MS Dhoni was:

212th of his T20 career and 

212th of this IPL.  

Despite a flurry from Tiwary, far too small a total considering the conditions and the opposition. RPS needed the kind of innings that Manoj TIwary played from someone in the middle overs. Keep in mind, Tiwary was not picked in the first two rounds of the auction, but what a valuable choice he is proving to be.

Terrific comeback by RCB. RPS were going great guns with Smith and Dhoni at the wicket. But Kohli’s quick bowling changes and mixing it up with bowlers from different angles paid off. The nature of the pitch made it impossible for new batsmen to come in and get cracking.  Have RPS got enough runs? Probably not. Dew may hamper bowlers and fielders later in innings. RCB bat deep with top seven capable of taking it away. Watson bowled wrong length — pitching it on a length –in his last over and got hammered for 19 in the 19th over. RPS would have learnt from that. 162 is a challenging target. Second session should be interesting against Imran Tahir and Chahar.

At the start Rahane-Tripathi showed that the pitch is flat. At the end, Tiwary reiterated the same. #RCBvRPS #IPL

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) April 16, 2017

In context of the collapse we saw, this is a sterling knock by Manoj Tiwary. Might just raise the spirit of Pune's bowlers...

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) April 16, 2017

After 20 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 161/8 ( Jaydev Unadkat 2 , )

Milne bowls the final over of the Pune innings. Unadkat punches the first ball towards sweeper cover for a single. Tiwary pulls the second ball towards wide long-on, getting only a single. Swing-and-miss in the third ball, and Tiwary manages to reach the striker’s end on time despite a direct hit by the keeper. SIX! Tiwary hoicks the fifth ball over the backward square-leg boundary, getting Pune past 160. Tiwary executes what looks like a helicopter shot in the last ball of the innings, and is caught short of his crease at the striker’s end while coming back for a 2nd run.

Run out! Tiwary tries running back for a second run in the last ball of the innings, and is thus dismissed for 27 off 11 balls! Pune finish on 161/8 after 20 overs.

After 19 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 151/7 ( Manoj Tiwary 19 , Jaydev Unadkat 1)

Watson to bowl the penultimate over of the RPS innings. FOUR! Tiwary steers the first ball through cover point like a rocket! Wide bowled in the third delivery. FOUR! Another good shot by Tiwary, who goes down on one knee and clears mid-off! The Bengal batsman goes for the lofted drive over extra cover in the fifth ball, before hammering the last ball straight over Watson’s head to end the over on a high! 19 off it, and Pune still have a faint chance of getting past 170 with Tiwary at the centre.

Shardul Thakur becomes the second player after Jesse Ryder to score two ducks from career’s first two matches in IPL.

After 18 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 132/7 ( Manoj Tiwary 1 , Jaydev Unadkat 1)

In a space of nine deliveries, Pune crumble from 127/2 to 130/7! Oh what a collapse this has turned out to be. Milne into the 18th over,and gives away just two runs while grabbing two wickets. Tiwary and Unadkat at the centre, with the former now shouldering the responsibility of getting Pune past the 150 mark.

These four wickets have undone the good start that RPS had got off to, crystallising the slowdown that was shaping up while Smith and Dhoni were batting. Both scored at just a little more than a run a ball, and this IPL has shown that that is not good enough. This is shaping up to be yet another sad finish for RPS

Stokes gone too. Pune crumbling like roasted papadum...

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) April 16, 2017

OUT! What a collapse right now! Softest of dismissals, with Thakur pushing the ball towards AB de Villiers at cover! And Milne is on a hat-trick right now, which will be the third of the tournament should he get a wicket next ball. RPS 130/7

Shardul Thakur c de Villiers b Milne 0(1)

BOWLED EM! And it’s a procession now, with Stokes playing the Milne delivery onto his off-stump! Stokes looks for the pull off a length ball, but the ball stays low and gets an inside edge onto the timber. RPS 130/6

Ben Stokes b Milne 2(3)

Arvind bowling like a seasoned pro.  Keeping it short on a slow, low bounce pitch. Smith plays all over it. Good going for RCB these last 2 overs.

After 17 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 130/5 ( Ben Stokes 2 , Manoj Tiwary 0)

Aravind puts RCB in firm control of the proceedings at the start of the over, bowling a cross-seamer that stays low and crashes into Smith’s stumps. Things get worse for Pune when Christian flicks straight to Mandeep towards the on-side! The home side now have a golden opportunity to tighten the screws on RPS’ scoring rate with three more overs to go after this.

Can't get a bigger double strike that this. Both Dhoni and Smith gone. Pune now depending on Stokes to get them to a defendable total

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) April 16, 2017

OUT! Now its Christian’s turn to head back to the dugout! Flicks straight to Mandeep at backward square-leg! That’s two Aussie scalps for Aravind in one over! RPS 129/5

Dan Christian c Mandeep b Aravind 1(3)

Sreenath Aravind!! Straight bowled! Smith(27) is out! #RPS is 127/4 after 16.1 overs #RCBvRPS #PlayBold #VIVOIPL pic.twitter.com/NawwVgBU6R

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) April 16, 2017

#watto take a much needed wicket! Dhoni's(28) streak ends! #PlayBold #RCBvRPS #VIVOIPL pic.twitter.com/swSYZHUD6L

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) April 16, 2017

OUT! And now its Steve Smith’s turn to head back to the dugout, missing the line of the Aravind delivery completely to also get clean bowled! Failed to pick the change of pace in Aravind’s delivery, with the ball crashing between the middle and leg stumps. RPS 127/4

Steve Smith b Aravind 27(24)

After 16 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 127/3 ( Steven Smith (C) 27 , )

Watson into his third over, with both Smith and Dhoni looking to accelerate greatly with five overs left. FOUR! Smith smacks the second ball of the over, a back-of-length delivery, towards the cow-corner boundary, which also brings up the 50-stand for the third wicket. Dhoni goes fine with an outside edge through the vacant slip region, getting his third boundary. Watson though, puts RCB ahead by getting Dhoni to play onto his stumps in the last ball of the over.

BOWLED EM! Dhoni plays a fuller delivery from Watson onto his stumps! Clever change of line and length by Watson, getting Dhoni’s inside-edge when he was looking for another big hit! RPS 127/3

MS Dhoni b Watson 28(25)

Dhoni looking ominously good even on this slow pitch. The running between wickets is superb. Dew might be a factor. Thus RPS showing lot of urgency. But Kohli wringing in changes to keep it tight. Good fielding too so far.

MS Dhoni has now completed 24,000 runs across formats. 

"And if there's any more of this nonsense from either of you, you'll both be sent to bed early."
"Sorry, Mr Shastri."
"Sorry, Mr Shastri." pic.twitter.com/UWdepshqit

— Pavilion Opinions (@pavilionopinion) April 16, 2017

After 15 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 117/2 ( Steven Smith (C) 22 , MS Dhoni (W) 23)

Aravind into his third over. Dhoni completes 24,000 career runs with a single in the second ball of the over. Smith tucks a length delivery down his leg towards the fine-leg boundary. Swing-and-miss by Smith in the last two balls of the over, with eight coming off it. The batting side calls for the timeout now.

Did Kohli forget Chahal or is this a case of excess of choice. RCB carrying 3 spinners- Badree, Negi, Chahal and 4 pacers Milne, Watson, Arvind, Binny. Chahal comes in first time in the 14th over. If he bowls 4 he’d be there bowling the 18th & 20th overs. Unlikely after that massive Dhoni 6

Despite that monster six from MSD, there has been a discernible dip in the scoring rate, partly because Samuel Badree was bowling. But unless this pair can really capitalise now that they are set, this period may be the difference between a winning and a losing total.

After 14 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 109/2 ( Steven Smith (C) 15 , MS Dhoni (W) 22)

Chahal introduced into the attack in the 14th over, and we see Dhoni’s helmet come off. Dhoni tries to slog the fourth ball over the midwicket boundary, with the ball landing short of Milne near the boundary. 100 comes up nevertheless with a single in that ball. Back-to-back wides for Chahal in the fifth delivery, with Smith missing out on a sweep on both occasions. SIX! Quintessential Dhoni! Canons this one into the Chinnaswamy roof past the long-on boundary! 11 off the over.

Double strike by Bangalore brings Pune thudding down to earth. Huge onus again on Smith. And Dhoni!

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) April 16, 2017

After 13 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 98/2 ( Steven Smith (C) 14 , MS Dhoni (W) 15)

Watson back into the attack. Getting rid of the Smith-Dhoni combination is a priority for RCB right now. Wide conceded by Watto in the fourth delivery after conceding three singles. Dhoni tries pulling next ball, but nearly ends up chopping the ball onto his stumps. Watson ends the over with a wide yorker, which Dhoni misses. Six runs off the over.

#MSDhoni Is In Some Hitting Mode Today. Changed His Bat In Middle Of The Game To Get A Heavy One. *Fingers Crossed*#RCBvRPS #RPSvRCB #IPL pic.twitter.com/m42IYAhNZM

— Sir Jadeja fan (@SirJadeja) April 16, 2017

After 12 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 92/2 ( Steven Smith (C) 12 , MS Dhoni (W) 12)

Badree into his final over, and RCB will be hoping for another boundary in order to peg Pune back even further. FOUR! Smith hammers the third ball of the over towards the leg side, with three singles following it. Not the best of outings for Badree today, especially when one compares it with his haul against Mumbai on Friday. Seven off his final over, as Badree signs out with figures of 1/32 after four overs.

After 11 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 85/2 ( Steven Smith (C) 6 , MS Dhoni (W) 11)

After getting a couple of boundaries in the previous over, Dhoni prefers to rotate the strike with Smith in the 11th over, bowled by Negi, with six runs coming off it. Negi has bowled a superb spell so far, with one over left in his kitty.

MS Dhoni batting at No.4 in IPL before today:

Innings – 47

Runs – 1160

Ave. – 36.25

SR – 141.81

50s – 4

This is a huge moment in the season for RPS. Dhoni batting at four is a move that needs to work if they are to be competitive in the IPL. And with Stokes, and today Dan Christian yet to come, Dhoni cant afford to take much time settling down. 

Catch made in heaven said the giant score board. And it was. Sensational catch by skipper Kohli at short cover off Negi. RCB has pulled it back with 2 wickets. But what a fantastic reception from RCB fans to welcome Dhoni. Clearly a people’s hero here at Chinnaswamy stadium

After 10 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 79/2 ( Steven Smith (C) 3 , MS Dhoni (W) 9)

Badree into his third over. Dhoni finally gets off the mark with a boundary towards the backward point boundary, reaching out for the cut in a short wide delivery. Hammers the ball in the same direction two balls later, getting the same result. 10 off the over, with the two new batsmen trying to find their feet right now.

After 9 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 69/2 ( Steven Smith (C) 2 , MS Dhoni (W) 0)

Negi into his second over, and deals RPS with another blow, this time sending the other opener, Tripathi, back to the dugout. Tripathi’s powerful cover drive should have been a boundary on any given day, just that Kohli was too good at extra cover. Two new batsmen at the centre, with Dhoni now joining Smith at the centre.

OUT! What a catch by Kohli at cover! Now Negi sends the other opener, Tripathi, back to the dugout! RPS 69/2. 

Rahul Tripathi c Kohli b Negi 31(23)

First sign that RCB is worried at the time out score of 55 for no loss in 6 overseas came in the break. Entire RCB set up of about 30 guys — players, coaches and others were in the huddle on the Field.no doubt discussing what needs to be done.

One of the better starts that RPS have had , with two big overs in the first six and all wickets intact. Tripathi stepping out to Adam Milne said a lot, about the confidence he has gained through this platform. 

The pitch has a sheen on it that reminds you of a wet concrete track, so nothing short of 200 will be the target here.

After 8 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 68/1 ( Rahul Tripathi 31 , Steven Smith (C) 1)

Badree into his second over. Rahane goes for a late cut first ball, and Jadhav sticks his right leg out to prevent the ball from running away to the third man boundary. Badree continues to attack Rahane’s stumps, and gets rid of him with a googly that crashes into his leg stump. Captain Smith walks out to bat, and gets off the mark with a single. Tripathi smashes the last ball of the over down the ground for his third boundary. Seven runs and a wicket off the over.

BOWLED EM! Badree finally strikes, sending Rahane back to the dugout! Rahane went into the on-drive early, and failed to pick the wrong ‘un from the West Indian spinner, which went on to rattle the leg-stump. Massive wicket this is for Bangalore! RPS 63/1

Ajinkya Rahane b Badree 30(25)

After 7 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 61/0 ( Ajinkya Rahane 29 , Rahul Tripathi 26)

Pawan Negi brought into the attack in the seventh over, with Rahane on strike, and starts his spell off with a wide. A dot and five singles follow, with Rahane and Tripathi looking to rotate the strike right now.

Pune have batted out powerplay splendidly. Foundation laid for big score. Looks 190 pitch so still a lot of work for other batsmen to do

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) April 16, 2017

For Kids Its: #ViratKohli Vs #Smithy
For Legends Its: #AshokDinda Vs #StuartBinny#RCBvRPS #RPSvRCB #IPL #IPL2017@imVkohli @stevesmith49

— Alter Ego🕸️ (@protimdas) April 16, 2017

After 6 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 55/0 ( Ajinkya Rahane 26 , Rahul Tripathi 24)

Aravind continues from the other end, and bowls a much better over this time, giving away just 5 off it. Wide conceded in the third ball of the over, with four singles being exchanged between the Pune openers in the remainder of the over. The umpire calls for a timeout at the end of the over.

Official count at Chinnaswamy is 27983. #RCBvRPS #IPL

— Anand Vasu (@anandvasu) April 16, 2017

This is the third fifty-plus opening stand for RPS in IPL and Ajinkya Rahane is involved in each of them.

After 5 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 50/0 ( Ajinkya Rahane 24 , Rahul Tripathi 22)

Shane Watson introduced in the fifth over, and ends up conceding 9. Tripathi slashes the first ball hard, though he sends it straight to Milne at cover. Rahane opens the face of his bat in the penultimate delivery, and beats short third man to get his fourth boundary. Steers the full delivery from Watson at the end of the over to bring up the 50-opening stand — Pune’s first in this series.

After 4 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 41/0 ( Ajinkya Rahane 16 , Rahul Tripathi 21)

Aravind into the attack in the fourth over, and his introduction hardly changes the script. Tripathi sends the first delivery quite high up in the air — nearly amile up the sky. The Ranchi lad goes inside out in the second ball, slicing it over the off-side cordon. 13 off the over. This is already Pune’s best opening stand in the tournament so far.

Clearly, the track at the Chinnaswamy is back to normal. Expecting lots of runs.

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) April 16, 2017

Left-arm spinners against RCB in this IPL:

Overs – 13

Runs – 50

Wickets – 4

Eco. – 3.85

RPS have not picked Ankit Sharma today.

After 3 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 28/0 ( Ajinkya Rahane 16 , Rahul Tripathi 8)

Nightmarish over for Milne, with 17 coming off it! Back-to-back boundaries for Tripathi at the start of the over. Rahane lofts straight down the ground in the fifth delivery, with the ball landing just short of the rope. Slashes the last delivery towards backward point! What a start for Pune this evening!

After 2 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 11/0 ( Ajinkya Rahane 8 , Rahul Tripathi 3)

The hat-trick hero from the previous game, Samuel Badree, introduced into the attack in the second over, and he gets hammered for a boundary by Rahane first ball after bowling a low full-toss. Four more singles follow, with eight coming off the second over.

Stoked to see Adam Milne playing, GAS!!! pic.twitter.com/OYHzSLkeaO

— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) April 16, 2017

Two buddies in the house. Should be a cracking game - @RCBTweets @RPSupergiants #IPL #RCBvRPS pic.twitter.com/DLJOZMSVnf

— Ravi Shastri (@RaviShastriOfc) April 16, 2017

After 1 overs,Rising Pune Supergiant 3/0 ( Ajinkya Rahane 2 , Rahul Tripathi 1)

Milne starts the proceedings off for RCB, and touches 145 clicks in the penultimate ball of the over. Rahane tries slashing the fourth ball of the over, but only gets a single, getting the team off the mark. Three off the first over.

Did you know: Ajinkya Rahane is playing his 100th IPL match today.

Did you know? RPS have never won a match while batting first in IPL. They have lost nine matches till day. 

Head to Head: (RCB v RPS)
Matches – 2
RCB won – 2
RPS won – 0

Disappointing to see that RPS have dropped Lockie Fergusson after just one game, he brought genuine pace into to the attack, and hurried even the likes of Bendon McCullum. Also, having a quick bowler in the side also makes the leg spinners more effective, with the difference in pace. 

RPS still looking for stability in the XI in their fifth game, not a good position to be in.

RPS XI: Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Tripathi, Steve Smith (c), Ben Stokes, Manoj Tiwary, MS Dhoni (wk), Daniel Christian, Rahul Chahar, Imran Tahir, Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat.

Dan Christian and Jaydev Unadkat replace Lockie Ferguson and Ankit Sharma.

RCB XI: Virat Kohli (c), Mandeep Singh, AB de Villiers, Kedar Jadhav (wk), Shane Watson, Stuart Binny, Pawan Negi, Samuel Badree, Adam Milne, Sreenath Aravind, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Adam Milne and Shane Watson come in place of Tymal Mills and Chris Gayle.

#IPL - Match 17: The @RCBTweets are warming up for #RCBvRPS pic.twitter.com/7ERK1tFTIp

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 16, 2017

TOSS: Royal Challengers Bangalore win the toss, and skipper Rohit Sharma elects to field!

Missing out on action, but doesn't mean I will miss out on watching my team play. At the Chinnaswamy now! Go RCB 😎 #PlayBold pic.twitter.com/RwDKHY8V6t

— K L Rahul (@klrahul) April 16, 2017

IPL 2017: Sunrisers Hyderabad could have played spin better, rues veteran pacer Ashish Nehrahttp://www.firstpost.com

IPL 2017: Cash-rich league an apt platform for young Indians to make money and display their talenthttp://www.firstpost.com

Would you be missing this scene tonight? #RCBvRPS pic.twitter.com/nAKk0wWIZT

— నాడు నేడు (@Nadu_Nedu) April 16, 2017

I dare you to find me anyone more optimistic than an @RCBTweets fan on this planet.

It's game day lads!! #RCBvRPS

— Nikhil Chinapa (@nikhilchinapa) April 16, 2017

All set for tonight game against Pune 👍 #PlayBold💪#RCB❤#JaiMataDi😊😊 pic.twitter.com/NYgcErK1dr

— Yuzvendra Chahal (@yuzi_chahal) April 16, 2017

A short spell of rain cooled temperatures considerably. The city has had overcast skies since 3 pm. The short showers around 5.30 pm is not expected to be match-threatening. In any case Chinnaswamy stadium has fantastic drainage system. The latest — the only cricket ground in the world to have it — is an American system called Sub-Air system. It evacuates water at 37 times the speed of gravity. Costing Rs 4.2 crore it was installed immediately after the  earlier edition of IPL and over 4 months.  So the RCB vs RPS is certainty on.

This is about the right time for RCB to make their move. They would be away from home after this match for the next 9 days and what better venue to give their campaign a shot in the arm than the match at home. RCB fans have always backed their team to the hilt, with the Chinnaswamy Stadium packed to the rafters for each and every match. The dreaded trio, Kohli, ABD and Gayle are all in the mix. If only Gayle chooses the moment to fire RCB fans’ delight would be total. Whom has he got to confront? Just Dinda, Thakur and Chahar. Should be a piece of cake. Go Gayle go!

The needle in this match would be more than Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Rising Pune Supergiant. The respective skippers, Virat Kohli and Steve Smith have a history of confrontation as skippers of India and Australia and that would surely spill over into this tie. Without Ravi Ashwin Pune lacks sting in the bowling, particularly if RCB go ahead with the same slow turner used against Delhi and Mumbai. If Smith, Ben Stokes, Imran Tahir and Faf du Plessis are the 4 overseas players, Zampa’s leg spin and Dan Christian’s all round skills cannot be used for RPS. RCB may stick with Badree, ABD, Gayle and Mills. Question is, does Jadhav keep or would Mandeep be dropped for Vishnu as WK? Gayle may seem like a gamble. But it would be easier for him to run into form against RPS and at Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Challenge for RCB is to get all components of their game to come together. They need batting, bowling and fielding to click in the same match. Hasn’t happened so far. Bits have come good. Not the whole. If they get their A game together the disjointed Pune side will struggle to match them. Question is can Virat get his boys firing.

IPL 2017: When and where to watch RCB vs RPS, coverage on TV and live streaming on Hotstarhttp://www.firstpost.com

Hello and welcome to the live coverage of Match 17 of IPL 2017, with Royal Challengers Bangalore hosting Rising Pune Supergiant — Virat Kohli taking on Steve Smith yet again — at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday.