IPL 2022: How ex-RCB players stepped up to almost deny RCB vs RR

RR vs RCB, IPL 2022: Ex-RCB stars Yuzvendra Chahal, Navdeep Saini and Devdutt Padikkal stepped up for Rajasthan Royals to almost deny Royal Challengers Bangalore a win in the 13th match of IPL 2022 on Tuesday.

Dinesh Karthik's heroic knock may have helped Royal Challengers Bangalore get over the line but it was a special night for ex-RCB stars Yuzvendra Chahal, Devdutt Padikkal and Navdeep Saini as the RR troika played their part to perfection in making the 13th match of IPL 2022 a nervy affair.

Yuzvendra Chahal, Navdeep Saini and Devdutt Padikkal--three players who were not deemed good enough to be retained by RCB---showcased their quality on the field after being snubbed off the field.

Notably, all three players were bought by Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2022 mega auction. Chahal was one of the most surprising names who missed out as RCB opted to retain the likes of Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, and Mohammed Siraj. In the past, Chahal had also revealed in an interview with Times of India, that he was also surprised by the franchise's decision not to retain him.

Royal Challengers Bangalore got off to a solid start in the 170-run chase after Anuj Rawat combined with his skipper to put 55 runs for the opening wicket but this stand finally came to an end in the 7th over after Yuzvendra Chahal, who was snubbed by RCB in the auction despite a promise to rope him back in, struck to remove Faf du Plessis. In the next over Navdeep Saini, who was also not retained by RCB in the mega-auction, dismissed Rawat to dent his ex-team as Bangalore were pegged back in their run chase.

Chahal then came back to affect his former captain Virat Kohli's run-out after a fantastic effort from his current skipper Sanju Samson. Samson was quick to react from behind the wickets and nearly lost his balance as he threw the ball back to Chahal who was quick to whip off the bails. TV replays showed Kohli's bat was on the crease when the bails came off. Sanju Samson's brilliance brought out Virat Kohli's dismissal and David Willey was then removed in the same over.

RCB seemed to have lost the fight at one stage as Chahal and Saini undid their openers' work by staging a mini-collapse and just when it seemed like Rajasthan were all set for a third successive win, Karthik 'the ice-cool finisher' came to the party. His attack against Tamil Nadu teammate R Ashwin turned the game upside down, and RCB never looked back thereafter. Shahbaz played the ideal foil in a game-changing partnership, with Harshal then completing the finishing bits.

Earlier, Jos Buttler hammered half a dozen sixes in his unbeaten 70 as Rajasthan Royals grafted their way to 169 for three against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League here on Tuesday. Buttler, fresh off a hundred in the previous game, had to work hard in his 47-ball knock on a slow Wankhede pitch. He had the support of Shimron Hetmyer (42*) at the other end as the duo shared an unbeaten 83-run stand off 51 balls.