On This Day in 2015: AB de Villiers Leads RCB to IPL Qualifier 2 of IPL 2015

One such memorable moment came on 20th May 2015, during the IPL Eliminator match against Rajasthan Royals. It was a do-or-die game, with both teams needing a win to stay in the tournament. RCB found themselves in trouble early, but with AB de Villiers at the crease, fans knew the team had hope. He played a brilliant knock and showed why he’s one of the best. Let’s take a look at how the thrilling match unfolded.

Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Eliminator on 20th May 2015

On May 20, 2015, in Pune, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) took on Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Eliminator match of the 2015 Indian Premier League (IPL). RCB set a strong total of 180/4 in their 20 overs and then bowled out RR for just 109 in 19 overs, winning by a huge 71 runs. This victory sent RCB to Qualifier 2 to face Chennai Super Kings. AB de Villiers was the star, scoring 66 off 38 balls and taking two catches, earning him the Player of the Match award.

RCB won the toss and chose to bat first on a pitch that looked good for batting. Their openers, Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli, started slowly, scoring 41 runs in the first six overs at a rate of 6.83 runs per over. Gayle made 27 off 26 balls, hitting four fours and one six with a strike rate 103.84. He got going in the third over against Dhawal Kulkarni, smashing a six and benefiting from four byes in a 14-run over. But Kulkarni got his revenge in the sixth over, bowling Gayle with a ball that hit the top of middle stump.

Kohli, usually a run-machine, couldn’t find his rhythm, scoring just 12 off 18 balls. Kulkarni struck again in the seventh over, catching a simple return catch to leave RCB at 46/2 after eight overs and at a run rate of 5.75. This was a shaky moment for RCB, but AB de Villiers and Mandeep Singh stepped up with a game-changing 92-run partnership for the third wicket over 66 balls.

De Villiers scored a brilliant 66 off 38 balls with 4 fours, 4 sixes and a strike rate 173.68. He was cautious early on, making 17 off 21 balls, but exploded later, especially in the 14th over against Ankit Sharma, where he hit two sixes and a four for 19 runs. Mandeep played a superb knock too, scoring 50 off 31 balls, including 7 fours, 2 sixes and a strike rate of 158.82 and his highlight was the 19th over against James Faulkner, where he scored 15 runs, including a four to reach his fifty.

RCB’s middle overs added 68 runs at 8.5 runs per over, with de Villiers and Mandeep picking up the pace. The final six overs were where RCB really took off, scoring 86 runs at 14.33 runs per over. Big moments included Chris Morris’s 17-run 17th over, where de Villiers hit two sixes, and Faulkner’s costly 19th over. De Villiers was run out for 66 in the 18.4 over after a sharp throw from Stuart Binny. Dinesh Karthik chipped in with a quick 8 off 3 balls before getting caught off Morris in the 19th over. Mandeep stayed unbeaten on 54 off 34, and Sarfaraz Khan was 1 not out off 1 ball as RCB ended at 180/4.

RR’s bowlers struggled, with Kulkarni being the best (4 overs, 28 runs, 2 wickets, economy 7.00). Faulkner (4-0-42-0, economy 10.50) and Morris (4-0-42-1, economy 10.50) were expensive, and RR gave away 8 wides and 1 leg-bye while Spinners Ankit Sharma (3-0-28-0) and Shane Watson (4-0-32-0) couldn’t stop the flow of runs.

Chasing 181, Openers Ajinkya Rahane and Shane Watson began well, scoring 11 runs in the first over off Mitchell Starc, with Watson hitting two fours. But Sreenath Aravind broke through in the second over, getting Watson for 10 runs off 5 balls and caught behind by Karthik as RR reached 34/2 in the powerplay with a run rate of 6.80 after Harshal Patel dismissed Sanju Samson for 5 off 8 balls in the fifth over, also caught by Karthik.

Rahane was RR’s best batter, scoring 42 off 39 balls with 4 fours and a strike rate of 107.69. He shared a 21-run stand with Steven Smith for 12 runs off 13 balls, but David Wiese ended that in the eighth over, with de Villiers catching Smith at sweeper cover. At 61/3 after nine overs, RR needed 11.30 runs per over. Karun Nair made 12 off 13 but was caught by Karthik off Patel in the 12th over, leaving RR at 83/4.

The middle overs saw RR score 53 runs at 6.63 runs per over, losing three wickets. Rahane’s dismissal by Yuzvendra Chahal in the 14th over at 87/5, caught by de Villiers, sparked a collapse. James Faulkner with 4 off 4 was caught and bowled by Aravind in the 14th over, and Stuart Binny (0 off 1) was run out in the same over after a mix-up as Chris Morris (0 off 3) was caught off Starc in the 16th over, and Deepak Hooda (11 off 14) fell to Wiese in the same over, leaving RR at 95/8.

The final five overs were a disaster for RR, adding just 22 runs at 5.50 runs per over while losing three more wickets. Ankit Sharma with 7 off 5 and Dhawal Kulkarni with 3 off 9 couldn’t fight back, and Chahal sealed the win by bowling Kulkarni in the 19th over. RR’s innings had 14 fours but no sixes, showing their lack of big shots and they scored 68/3 in the first 10 overs but managed only 41 runs for 7 wickets in the last 9 overs with a run rate of 4.56.

RCB’s bowlers were excellent, with Aravind (4-0-20-2, economy 5.00) and Chahal (4-0-20-2, economy 5.00) leading the way. Patel (3-0-15-2, economy 5.00) and Wiese (4-0-32-2, economy 8.00) also took wickets, while Starc (4-0-22-1, economy 5.50) bowled tightly despite some back issues as RCB gave away just 3 wides, and Karthik was sharp behind the stumps, taking three catches and effecting a run-out.

RCB’s win came down to their strong batting, led by de Villiers and Mandeep, who powered them to a big total with explosive fifties. Their bowlers then took wickets regularly, never letting RR settle and RR’s batters couldn’t handle the pressure, failing to hit a single six and losing wickets at key moments.