IPL Pulse: A delayed start, a familiar ending

Good morning,

No amount of rain could keep the fans in Raipur from witnessing the chase master in full flow. Despite the delayed start, there was a full match in place as RCB regained their top spot in the table with a fairly easy win in the end, following Virat Kohli's 9th IPL ton.

Here's Cricketlineguruji Pulse, your 2-minute scan of the IPL verse.

Last night in five lines

Bhuvneshwar Kumar nudged ahead of Kagiso Rabada by striking early.

Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Cameron Green had to bail KKR out after early blows.

Rinku Singh's finishing act helped KKR end with 194.

Jacob Bethell departed early once again but the Padikkal-Kohli stand put RCB on course.

Kohli stayed unbeaten right until the end as RCB got the job done with five balls to spare.

Oh, that happened

We have hardly seen Manish Pandey over the last three seasons, and he hadn't even batted once this year coming into the game. But Pandey gave us a proper "he's still got it" moment with a stunning one-handed catch at backward point. The 36-year-old made it look ridiculously easy. While it came in a losing cause with the game all but decided by then, the effort was so good that even Virat Kohli walked up to appreciate him. The warm embrace that followed triggered plenty of nostalgia among fans given how far back their bond goes.

Pulse Awards

The Mr. Carelessaward goes to Jacob Bethell for failing to realise that he had lost his chain on the pitch after a top edge off his bat hit the helmet.

Speaking of helmets, Kartik Tyagi bags the helmet connoisseuraward. He not only hit Bethell's helmet but also delivered a perfect bouncer ten overs later that struck Rajat Patidar's headgear, rattling the RCB skipper.

The perfect-comeback award of course goes to Virat Kohli. With two ducks in his last two games, even Ian Bishop remarked, "Can he get a run, Virat? Can he get a run?" He didn't get just 'a run'. He ended up with 105*. But he saw the funny side of it and celebrated that first run with a fist pump.

The reward-for-patienceaward goes to the Raipur crowd. There was plenty of rain before the contest, and the entire ground was covered. Even after it had stopped, the start was delayed by 75 minutes. Yet, they waited. The game finished well past midnight. They stayed and were rewarded with a Kohli ton.

Talking point

After 57 games, no team has confirmed its spot in the playoffs. But RCB and GT took a crucial step forward with their wins in the last two days. What the result last night also did was take KKR's chances out of their hands. They will now heavily rely on other results to keep their hopes alive. One silver lining is that their last three games are all at home. What about the other teams' chances? Find out here.

The chatter

After that superlative ton, Virat Kohli said "I just give my heart and soul out there on the field, whether I'm fielding or batting, because it's going to finish one day." Surely, that 'one day' is still far away.

"Some people see the glass half empty, some see it half full." This is Jitesh Sharma's mantra to staying positive despite the lack of runs this season.

"I don't know, but I think he will come soon," is what Rajat Patidar had to say when asked about Phil Salt. That should give RCB fans more reason to cheer.

Stat snack

Virat Kohli last night equalled Rohit Sharma for the most 'player of the match' awards in the IPL. They are both tied on 21 each.

Gossip column

While MS Dhoni has always kept fans and the CSK management guessing in recent years, the word is that he has now decided to keep airliners guessing as well. IndiGo can always fall back on CSK fans for a piece of advice if CSK book Dhoni's ticket to Ahmedabad next.

Tonight's watchlist

Teams knocked out of contention are usually deemed dangerous to face in the IPL. From that standpoint, it's safe to say that the Mumbai Indians will only look to add to the Punjab Kings' recent woes. Read the preview here.

Reckless prediction

Prabhsimran Singh to 'shush' his critics on the pitch this time by going shirtless again.