IPL 2021: RCB players bask in the glory of thrilling last-ball win over DC

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) won a thriller of a match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on their last match of the league stage of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL). The match went right down to the wire as five runs were needed off the last ball. RCB’s wicketkeeper-batter Srikar Bharat held his composure and scored six over long-on off the bowling Avesh Khan. As soon as the winning runs were hit, RCB skipper Virat Kohli ran onto the field and celebrated the team’s thrilling win.

The match was gone for all money for RCB when they had lost the top order. Bharat, though, was defiant at one end and continued to find boundaries. Along with Glenn Maxwell, he kept the team on the hunt. It all came down to 15 off the last over and Bharat finished things off to end the league stage of the RCB on a memorable note.

After the conclusion of the game, RCB shared a video on their YouTube channel, where Bharat can be heard telling Kohli that he aimed to hit the ball straight down the ground of the last ball. “Was waiting for that full ball to hit over mid-off. I thought it would have gone the distance with height.”

The match become tantalizingly close when Bharat ran two with only three balls remaining.  He had Maxwell at the other end but the wicketkeeper batter believed in himself to clear the ropes of the final ball. Bharat was effusive in praise of Glenn Maxwell and said he allowed him to retain the strike during the closing stages of the match.

Glenn Maxwell trusted me to face the three balls: Srikar Bharat

“To have the trust to allow me to play those three balls means a lot to me. At the RCB camp as well, we practiced these hard scenarios where everyone can walk in and win a game. It absolutely came out and I am very grateful. I batted 50 balls so the team would expect me to finish things off. I was sticking to the plan.”

RCB ended their league stage with 18 points. The win could not propel them past the second-placed CSK. Nonetheless, they still made it to the playoffs with two games to spare. RCB will now take on KKR in the eliminator on Monday (October 11).