David, Patidar fashion handsome RCB win in six-fest

In a nutshell

It was a match that produced over 450 runs. Normally, an aggregate of that kind points towards a thriller. But while Chennai Super Kings crossed 200 in their chase, they were never in contention after conceding 250 with the ball as Royal Challengers Bengaluru rode on Tim David's belligerence to make it four in a row against their southern rivals on Sunday (April 5).

The match in phases

Brief scores: Royal Challengers Bengaluru 250/3 in 20 overs [Tim David 70* (25), Devdutt Padikkal 50 (29), Rajat Patidar 48* (19)] beat Chennai Super Kings 207 in 19.4 overs [Sarfaraz Khan 50 (25), Prashant Veer 43 (29), Bhuvneshwar Kumar 3-41, Abhinandan Singh 2-30] by 43 runs

Who won RCB the match?

The batters, particularly the duo of Tim David and Rajat Patidar in the slog-overs. As for the how...

How did RCB wallop 250?

It was a rather bizarre start to the innings after being asked to bat first by CSK, as neither Phil Salt nor Virat Kohli got their timing right. No boundary off the first three overs seemed an anomaly even as both batters tried attacking their way out. Kohli got a reprieve on 7 before Shivam Dube redeemed himself at long on. RCB did get to 51 in the Powerplay before Salt picked up pace, even as Devdutt Padikkal looked extremely scratchy.

Yet, RCB were well placed at 91/1 at the halfway stage and despite Salt's wicket, Patidar added the impetus, before Dube's second over went the distance. The carnage continued and reached new heights thereafter, with Padikkal notching up a fifty before Tim David entered the scene and took the Chinnaswamy by storm, clobbering a heap of sixes, including three in a row off Noor Ahmad.

Such was the impact of that onslaught that RCB whipped up 97 off the last five overs. Anshul Kamboj castled David with a leg stump yorker but he overstepped and David duly made him pay. Patidar was on track for the fastest fifty by an RCB batter but ended up watching from the non-striker's end as David gave Overton a hiding with a 30-run 19th over.

But was it bad bowling on the part of CSK?

Yes and no. CSK started off bowling that good length pretty regularly as the pitch wore a tacky look in the Powerplay. Noor too bowled a tight over in the middle phase, conceding just four runs, while Overton cranked up some serious pace and went into the surface in a two-run 15th over. Thereafter though, only Kamboj bowled to a plan, attempting wide yorkers from around the wicket. Noor bowled too short to David, while Overton dished out far too many in the slot, each of which traveled the distance.

How did CSK start with the bat?

A six in the very first over off Ruturaj Gaikwad's blade summed up the only way CSK could go about this. Except, both Gaikwad and Sanju Samson nicked off with minimal footwork, while Ayush Mhatre fell early too. The chase was done for all practical purposes with the top three falling in the first three overs and it was a matter of how many in terms of the margin of victory for RCB.

But were there any positives at all for CSK?

Indeed there were. Sarfaraz Khan smashed a fifty inside the Powerplay, a phase in which CSK scored up 77 runs. It marked just his second half-century in the IPL as he found ways to pick his spot with his full range on display. Elsewhere, Prashant Veer, one of CSK's big-ticket auction signings, started slow before unleashing some clean hits off Krunal Pandya, with a late adjustment upon shuffling across before carting the ball through mid-wicket proving to be the standout. He is yet to bowl after two matches but his 43 would have reiterated some belief among the Super Kings' scouts that they may not have got it wrong as far as Ravindra Jadeja's heir was concerned. Overton too middled it sweetly as he struck some lusty blows to go with his 43 against RR earlier in the season.

Where do the teams head next?

RCB hit the road for their next two matches, commencing with a game against RR in Guwahati on Friday (April 10). CSK return home and wait until Saturday (April 11) to try and break their rut as they face Delhi Capitals at Chepauk.