Rajat Patidar ton Powers RCB to post 207/4 against LSG
Kolkata, May 25: Little-known domestic bulwark Rajat Patidar found his hour of fame as his magnificent 49-ball hundred propelled Royal Challengers Bangalore to an imposing 207 for 4 against Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL Eliminator on Wednesday.
Courtesy Patidar's 54-ball-112 not out which had 12 fours and seven huge sixes, RCB literally knocked the stuffing out of LSG attack with Mohsin Khan's superb 1 for 25 proving to be only saving grace.
On a day their famed batting duo trio of Faf du Plessis (0), Glenn Maxwell (9) and Virat Kohli (25) failed to enthrall a capacity Eden crowd, RCB's No, 3 played out of his skin as 90 runs came in fours and sixes off just 19 balls.
While most of the star-studded RCB batters struggled for timing, the 28-year-old looked effortless with his slices, punches, counter-punches and drives to tower over the rest.
And to make Patidar's story more interesting, he wasn't picked from auction this season and joined the team after start when a player called Luvnith Sisodia was injured.
Had Sisodia been alright, RCB wouldn't have required services of Patidar, who made 65,000 at Eden Gardens stand on their feet.
He along with Dinesh Karthik (37 not out from 23 balls) put on a match-turning unbroken partnership of 92 runs from 41 balls as RCB scored 84 runs in the last five overs to prop up the total.
First, he showed the glimpses of his stroke-making skills to slam Krunal Pandya for three boundaries and one six inside the power-play to overshadow Kohli in a 66-run partnership from 46 balls.
Having cruised to his half-century in 28 balls, he took another 21 balls to reach his maiden hundred in T20s.
He got to the landmark pulling Mohsin Khan over square leg with a sweet-timing of the bat that summed up his effortless stay at the crease.
RCB lost three key wickets of a well-set Kohli, Maxwell and Mahipal Lomror in the middle overs to see their run-rate drop.
In-form Dinesh Karthik, who has played the role of a finisher to perfection for RCB this season, also survived some anxious moments against Ravi Bishnoi to start with.
But Patidar turned it around in the last over Bishnoi when he smacked the 'googly-man' for three sixes and two fours in succession in an over that read 1 6 4 6 4 6.
A sloppy LSG also helped his cause as Patidar, who got reprieves on 59, 72 and 93. After a 40-minute delayed start due to bad weather, Lucknow got off to a superb start when Mohsin got RCB skipper Faf du Plessis for a golden duck in the first over.
Having lost their skipper early, it was about biding time as Kohil and Patidar opted for a wait-and-watch policy before the latter broke loose against Krunal Pandya in the last over of the power-play.
Patidar slammed Krunal for three boundaries and one six in an over that yielded 20 runs to make it up for their slow start and cruise to 52/1 in six overs.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Rahul urges govt to take proactive measures to safeguard Indians
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday expressed concern over the escalating hostilities between Israel-US and Iran and urged the government of India to take immediate proactive steps to ensure the safety of all Indians in the middle east.
"The rapidly escalating hostilities between US-Israel and Iran are deeply concerning.
"The safety and security of every Indian citizen across the Middle East must be our highest priority," the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said in a post on X.
"I urge the Government of India to take immediate and proactive measures to safeguard our people," Gandhi also said.
The US and Israel launched a major attack on Iran on Saturday. Iran responded, targeting Israel with missiles and drones and also striking US military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar.
The rapidly escalating hostilities between US-Israel and Iran are deeply concerning.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) February 28, 2026
The safety and security of every Indian citizen across the Middle East must be our highest priority.
I urge the Government of India to take immediate and proactive measures to safeguard our…
