Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter Phil Salt was pleased with his contribution to the win, especially given the unique venue. He acknowledged the challenge posed by Jofra Archer’s bowling but was happy to have gotten the better of him in this match. He highlighted their long history of facing each other in the nets, making this victory particularly satisfying. “Very pleased, always pleased to contribute to a win. The venue was slightly different, pleased that I could put a stamp on the game for the lads.”
“(On his duel with Jofra) I gave it a chance, early doors to try and hit through the off-side but he was swinging it quite a long way so I realised there’s only one area of the ground I could try and hit the ball. Me and Jofra have had a lot of battles in the nets. He’s bowled at me more than anyone else and I have faced him more than I have faced anyone else. Nice to have wood on him,” Phil Salt said in the post-match presentation.
Salt recognized the slower nature of the pitch and capitalized on the opportunity to make a significant impact in the powerplay. He acknowledged Rajasthan’s strong performance but ultimately felt their bowlers’ execution and the team’s batting performance were decisive factors in the win.
“The wicket was slower and lower than anywhere else we’ve played. I had a real opportunity in the powerplay to put a stamp. Rajasthan played quite well. Our bowlers definitely got the plans right here. They got a pretty good score but it worked for us today with the bat,” he added.
Yashasvi Jaiswal’s outstanding 75 and Dhruv Jurel’s crucial 35 powered Rajasthan Royals to 173/4 in their 20 overs, Kohli and Salt opened the RCB innings, and Salt again gave Bengaluru an aggressive start, smashing all bowlers in the powerplay. Virat Kohli smartly rotated the strike and gave it to Salt.
RCB finished their power play on 65/0, Phil Salt 46 (23) and Virat Kohli 18 (13), Phil Salt brought up his fifty in the 8th over, and he kept smashing RR bowlers even after the field restrictions.
Virat Kohli 62(45) and Devdutt Padikkal’s 40 (28) helped RCB chase a difficult target of 174 in the 18th over. The duo added 83 runs for the second wicket. Phil Salt was the highest run scorer for RCB in their innings and was also awarded player of the match for his outstanding 65 in just 33 including five fours and six sixes.
In RCB’s bowling Krunal Pandya (1/29), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/32), Josh Hazlewood (1/26) and Yash Dayal (1/36) took a wicket each, Suyash Sharma (0/39) went wicketless.
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