When the Royal Challengers Bangalore began their fourteenth and final qualifying match on Sunday against the already eliminated Delhi Daredevils, they knew that victory would secure a top two place, and a chance to play the Chennai Super Kings for a place direct into the 2015 Pepsi Indian Premier League (IPL) final at Eden Gardens next Sunday.
Unfortunately for the Bangalore team, the weather was to be the only winner on the day. With South Africans de Kock and JP Duminy both passing 60, the visitors posted what appeared a challenging 187-5 in their 20 overs. However, the rains came after Bangalore had batted for just 1.1 overs, forcing the players from the field, never to return.
The point that they picked up for the No Result, meant that they finished above the Rajasthan Royals, but they needed Mumbai and Hyderabad to also suffer a no result to finish second to the Super Kings. However, Mumbai rushed to victory taking them to 16 points the same as Bangalore, and with 8 wins during qualifying to Bangalore’s seven, they jumped over the Royal Challengers.
The Royals, who had started the season with five successive victories, and had looked certainties to make the knockout phase, ensured their own top four place on Saturday, when they beat last season’s Champions, the Kolkata Knight Riders by nine runs, effectively eliminating the title holders at the same time.
Royal Challengers have certainly had the better of the two contests between the two sides during the regular season. The first match ended in a 9-wicket victory for Bangalore, with nearly four overs to spare. Unfortunately, the second contest was spoilt by rain, after Bangalore had posted 200 from their 20 overs.
However, with two of the top four wicket takers in the 2015 tournament, Chahal with 19 and Starc with 18 victims, and three of the top seven run makers, with Kohli having made 481, AB de Villiers 446 and Gayle 423, Royal Challengers appear to have too much strength in depth in a one off match, for the Rajasthan Royals.