Patidar leads from front as all-round show takes RCB to 2nd successive IPL final
Royal Challengers Bengaluru get within one game of defending title as skipper Rajat Patidar’s 33-ball unbeaten 93 blows away Gujarat Titans In Virat Kohli’s career, 18.4 triggers memories of one shot – that off Pakistan’s Haris Rauf in Melbourne during the 2022 T20 World Cup. At Dharamshala, there was one shot that made Kohli jump off his chair in the dugout, with his jaws on the floor as he covered his mouth in disbelief at what he had witnessed. Kagiso Rabada, among the bowlers of the tournament, had already endured a costly first spell (39 runs conceded in three overs) when he returned for his last in the 17th over. A back-of-length delivery, that has troubled most batsmen, should have bothered Rajat Patidar too. But the RCB skipper picked the length early, stood on his toes and the bat swing did the rest – sending the ball over covers for a six. 16.4 will be Patidar’s ‘Hang in the Louvre’. It was the highlight of an incredible T20 innings that took Patidar to an unbeaten …
