Twitter Reactions: Dinesh Karthik, Shahbaz Ahmed's late impetus take RCB to stunning win

Rajasthan Royals have suffered their first defeat in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 courtesy of a stellar show from Royal Challengers Bangalore duo Dinesh Karthik and Shahbaz Ahmed. The two dashers made a mockery of RR’s famed bowling line-up as the Faf du Plessis-led side chased down 170 with five deliveries to spare. Both RR and RCB now have two victories in three outings this season.

Earlier in the match, RCB won the toss and opted to bowl at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. David Willey justified the decision with a stellar opening spell, dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal in the very second over. Nonetheless,  in-form Jos Buttler joined forces with Devdutt Padikkal and the duo steadied the ship with a 70-run stand. While Padikkal was dismissed for a well-paced 37, Buttler breached the 50-run mark once again.

The dasher, however, was cautious throughout the innings and the same reflects the pitch conditions. Meanwhile, skipper Sanju Samson failed to make his bat talk this time around as he was dismissed for a run-a-ball eight. Buttler then found a substantial partner in Shimron Hetmyer, who has emerged as a formidable finisher lately. The duo played some delightful shots in the end overs as RR finished at 169/3 in their allotted 20 overs.

Remarkable comeback from RCB after batting collapse

While Buttler remained unbeaten on 70, Hetmyer accumulated 42 off 31 deliveries. In reply, RCB got off to a flying start with skipper Faf du Plessis and Anuj Rawat adding 55 runs for the opening wicket. However, RCB then lost four wickets inside seven runs and the game turned on its head. Two of these wickets were taken by Yuzvendra Chahal and RCB found themselves in a great spot of bother.

However, the evergreen Dinesh Karthik joined forces with Shahbaz Ahmed and the duo sent RR on the back foot with their stellar strokeplay. The two dashers were equally brilliant as the required run rate came down in no time. While Shahbaz was dismissed for a 26-ball 45 in the 18th over, there was no twist in the tale. Karthik remained unbeaten on 44 off 23 balls as RCB crossed the line in 19.1 overs, clinching the contest by four wickets.

Meanwhile, let’s look at how Twitter reacted to RCB’s stellar run chase: