Magazine : 
TATA IPL 2024: RCB beat PBKS by 4 wickets with Kohli's 77 and Karthik's 28
Virat Kohli, the talismanic batsman, showcased his vintage form with a splendid innings, scoring 77 runs, while Dinesh Karthik's unbeaten blitz of 28 runs off just 10 balls steered Royal Challengers Bangalore to their inaugural victory of the IPL 2024 season. They secured a four-wicket triumph over Punjab Kings at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Following exceptional spells from bowlers Mohammed Siraj, Yash Dayal, and Glenn Maxwell that restricted PBKS to 176/6, Virat Kohli enthralled the packed stadium with a remarkable 49-ball 77. His innings, adorned with two sixes and 11 fours, showcased yet another masterclass in T20 chasing. Kohli received a stroke of luck when Jonny Bairstow dropped him for a duck at the beginning of the chase, a moment that proved pivotal. However, RCB found themselves in a challenging situation when Harshal Patel dismissed Kohli in the 16th over, leaving them needing 47 runs off 22 balls.
Karthik walked in and smashed an unbeaten 28 off 10 balls, laced with three fours and two sixes while sharing an unbroken 48-run stand with Mahipal Lomror (17 not out) to help RCB get over the line with four balls to spare. Chasing 177, Kohli began by edging without any footwork against Curran and Bairstow failed to catch the ball and conceded a boundary. He would go on to drive Curran through covers twice and clip past short fine leg to take 16 runs off the opening over.
Even as Kohli got the RCB innings off to a flier with three authoritative boundaries off Arshdeep Singh, wickets fell from the other end as captain Faf du Plessis mistimed a loft off Kagiso Rabada to mid-on and Cameron Green nicked behind off the fast bowler. PBKS effected a slowdown via Curran and Harshal Patel varying their pace and variations while Harpreet Brar bowled mostly in the length area and maintained a stump-to-stump line. But it didn’t have much effect on Kohli as he smoked Rahul Chahar over extra cover for six before reaching his fifty in 31 balls.
Brar's persistence yielded results as he bowled an impatient Rajat Patidar and induced Glenn Maxwell to chop onto his stumps. Virat Kohli asserted RCB's dominance by dispatching Harshal Patel for a six with a pull shot and followed it up with a four with a glance. He continued his onslaught by striking consecutive fours off the pacer - one with a swipe across the line and the other elegantly through extra cover - before eventually being caught at deep backward point.
Following Anuj Rawat's dismissal to a slower ball from Curran, Lomror played a supportive role, utilizing flicks and pulls to find boundaries. Meanwhile, Karthik remained composed, employing glances, swipes, pulls, and a pre-meditated scoop to orchestrate a late flurry of boundaries. He sealed the chase with a powerful drive down the ground, igniting jubilant celebrations among RCB and their enthusiastic supporters in the stadium.
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