Bengaluru (ANI): Manish Pandey’s counter-attacking knock of 50 (38) was insufficient as Delhi Capitals lost the match by 23 runs against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Saturday at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Royal Challengers Bangalore’s debutant Vijaykumar Vyshak stole the limelight with a three-wicket haul and ended the game with the figure of 3/20.

In the hunt for their first victory in the IPL 2023 Delhi Capitals found themselves stuck in an endless nightmare as they lost three wickets in 2.2 overs.

Anuj Rawat ensured that Prithvi Shaw’s poor form continued as he sent the right-handed batter back to the pavilion with a precise throw to send the bails flying in the air. Shaw walked back to the pavilion with a golden duck in his account.

Before Delhi could regroup, Wayne Parnell got the wicket of Mitchell Marsh in the second over to send Australia back for a four-ball duck.

Faf Du Plessis mixed up his bowling lineup as Mohammed Siraj came in to bowl the third over. RCB’s skipper tactics paid off as Siraj trapped Yash Dhull (1) right in front of the wicket. In 2.2 overs DC’s scoreboard (2/3) looked like a football scoreline.

David Warner and Manish Pandey tried to put up a partnership but the RCB debutant Vijaykumar Vyshak didn’t allow that to happen as he made David Warner (19) his maiden wicket in the IPL.

At the end of the powerplay, DC is 32/4 in six overs, with Manish Pandey (11*) and Abhishek Porel (1*) unbeaten.

Manish Pandey stood as the lone warrior and tried to keep DC in the game for as long as possible. But the lack of support on the other end made the target of 175 unachievable.

Abhishek Porel lost his wicket after scoring 5(8) and Axar Patel 21(14) became the second victim of Vijaykumar Vyshak. Pandey smashed the returning all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga for 4,6,4. With a double on the next ball, Pandey scored his 22nd IPL fifty in just 37 balls.

But after achieving this milestone Hasaranga dismissed Pandey for lbw. Umpire initially decided to go against the appeal but Du Plessis decided to go for a review and his decision took RCB one step closer towards victory.

Lalit Yadav’s 4(7) and Aman Khan’s 17(10) short cameos were ended by Siraj and Vyshak respectively. Delhi Capitals ended the innings with a score of 151-9 in 20 overs.

Earlier in the match, RCB skipper Faf Du Plessis and Virat Kohli gave a decent start to the home teams as the deadly duo struck 42 runs within five overs. But Mitchell Marsh broke the partnership before they could inflict more damage on Delhi Capitals. Du Plessis fortune didn’t favour him as Aman Khan took a stunning catch to dismiss the South African batter for a score of 22(16).

Virat Kohli continued scoring runs at regular intervals and Mahipal Lomror more than once stepped forward to avoid a dip in the run rate. Virat Kohli tried to increase the amount of pressure on DC bowlers as he tried to clear the boundary for a six in Lalit Yadav’s over. However, he fell short by a margin of inches as Yash Dhull picked up an easy catch to dismiss the inform batter for 50(34).

Lomror soon followed the footsteps of Kohli. Mitchell Marsh found his second wicket as the ball touched the edge of the ball and went straight into the hands of Abhishek Porel. Initially, DC reviewed for stumping, but the ultra-edge system revealed a faint edge before Porel took the bails off the stumps. Lomror played a short cameo of 26(18).

Glenn Maxwell and Harshal Patel tried to keep the flow of runs but Delhi Capitals spinners Kuldeep Yadav ensured DC’s dominance over the hosts. Kuldeep dismissed dangerous Glenn Maxwell for 24(14) and Axar dismissed Harshal for 6(4).

Dinesh Karthik came to play the finisher’s role as the first innings approached towards its climax. But before he could even think of making his mark on the game, his shot went straight into the hands of Lalit Yadav. Kuldeep Yadav picked up his second wicket and Karthik made his way back to the pavilion for a golden duck.

At the end of 15 overs, RCB is at 134/6, with Shahbaz Ahmed (0*) and Anuj Rawat (0*) unbeaten. RCB touched the 150-run mark in 17.4 overs.

Shahbaz Ahmed 20(12)* and Anuj Rawat 15(22)* stayed until the end and took RCB’s total to 174/6.

Brief Scores: Delhi Capital (Manish Pandey 50(38), Axar Patel 21(14) and Vijaykumar Vyshak 3/20) vs Royal Challengers Bangalore and Royal Challenges Bangalore 174/6 (Virat Kohli 50(34), Mahipal Lomror 26(18) and Kuldeep Yadav 2/23) vs Delhi Capitals.