In the fifth game of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL), the Punjab Kings (PBKS) will play against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. People expect PBKS’s captain, Shikhar Dhawan, to show off his batting skills to help his team win their second consecutive game.
Dhawan has played 25 matches against the Challengers and scored 679 runs with six half-centuries, which means he has hit the ball well against them in the past. After not doing so well against the Delhi Capitals (DC) in Mohali, Dhawan needs to play a good game in Bengaluru. Before the match at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, let’s look back at Dhawan’s top five batting performances against Bengaluru.
Here are Shikhar Dhawan’s top 5 great innings in IPL matches against RCB:
5. 50 off 39 in 2014
In a cricket match in 2014, RCB had to win against Sunrisers Hyderabad to have a chance of making it to the playoffs. RCB’s captain, Virat Kohli, chose to bat first after winning the toss. With Kohli scoring 67 runs off 41 balls, RCB ended their batting turn with a total of 160 runs.
When it was Sunrisers’ turn to bat, Dhawan and Warner played really well against RCB’s good bowlers. Dhawan and Warner made a partnership of 100 runs in just 12.3 overs. Dhawan scored 50 runs in 39 balls before leaving the field. He hit eight boundaries (seven fours and a six). Sunrisers managed to reach the target with only two balls remaining, thanks to Warner’s 59 runs in 46 balls and Dhawan’s half-century.
4. 50 off 37 in 2019
In 2019, Delhi played against RCB. Dhawan scored 50 runs in 37 balls. RCB had 4 wins and 7 losses in 11 matches, so their match against DC was really important. DC’s captain won the coin toss and chose to bat first.
Dhawan and Shaw started batting for DC, but Shaw got out after scoring 18 runs. Dhawan kept batting and scored 50 runs before getting out. DC scored 187 runs in 20 overs. RCB tried but only managed to score 171 runs. Dhawan was awarded the Player of the Match for his batting.
3. 50 off 33 in 2008
Dhawan has been playing in a famous cricket league since 2008. He started playing for Delhi with Virender Sehwag as the captain. In his first season, he scored well, including a good score against RCB at Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium.
In one match, Bengaluru’s captain, Rahul Dravid, chose to let Delhi bat first. When Sehwag got out early, Dhawan came to play and helped his team’s vice-captain, Gautam Gambhir. Gambhir scored 86 runs from 54 balls, and Dhawan scored 50 runs from 33 balls before getting out. Delhi made a total of 191 runs. In defending this score, Glenn McGrath from Delhi took four wickets, helping Delhi win the match by restricting Bengaluru to 181 runs.
2. 54 off 41 in 2020
In a cricket game in 2020, DC played against RCB at Sheikh Zayed Stadium. DC won the match by six wickets. It was very important for DC to win this match because if they lost, they might have been out of the competition. Dhawan played a crucial role in DC’s victory by scoring fifty runs.
DC chose to bowl first after winning the coin toss. They stopped Bengaluru’s team from scoring too many runs, allowing them to score only 152 runs in 20 overs. When DC started batting, they lost Prithvi Shaw early. But Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane played well together, making a partnership of 88 runs and getting closer to the target. Dhawan scored 54 runs before getting out, but his innings helped DC reach the target in 19 overs.
1. 73 off 52 in 2012
Dhawan played cricket for a team called Deccan Chargers in 2011 and 2012. He played 29 games and scored a lot of runs for them. Even though his team didn’t do very well in 2012, Dhawan played really well and caught people’s attention.
In one game against RCB at a stadium called M. Chinnaswamy, Dhawan scored 73 runs without getting out. Even though his team lost the match, Dhawan played a big part in helping his team score a lot of runs. He played alongside another player named Daniel Harriss and together they scored 86 runs. Then, when Harriss left, Dhawan played with Cameron White and helped their team get a high score.
Dhawan’s innings of 73 runs came from 52 balls and included 11 boundaries (10 fours and a six). Even though his team couldn’t win, Dhawan’s great batting was praised by fans.
