Royal
Challengers Bangalore, in IPL 2022, got a strong bowling attack. On Wednesday,
RCB bowled out Kolkata Knight Riders for just 128 and registered their first
win. Akash Deep and Wanindu Hasaranga put up an excellent performance to clean
up the KKR batting attack. Captain Faf du Plessis also got an excellent pacer
in Harshal Patel, last season’s Purple Cap winner, in the ongoing IPL. Harshal has developed
himself as a deadly death overs bowler. When Andre Russell was trying to
rebuild the KKR innings after the fall of the top order, Harshal Patel started
causing trouble for Russell.

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Harshal
bowled two maiden overs and eventually sent the dangerous overseas duo of Sam
Billings and Russell packing to dash KKR’s hope of the last revival. The pacer
eventually ended up with 2 for 11 as KKR were bundled out for a below-par 128.

Following
his excellent show against KKR, former India coach Ravi Shastri was all praise
of the pacer’s death over bowling.

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“I
have had chats with him in the Indian team, he knows his bowling. He is
confident and he is not overawed bowling to anybody. It looked as if he was
spared for Andre Russell, which is a big thing. A lot of people can get
overawed and intimidated.

“He
was very clear in his mind that he was going to bowl wide and he will take the
pace off the ball and see how it goes after that. There has been a big
improvement in his bowling and he understands his game and keeps it
simple,” Shastri said.

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Harshal
was retained by RCB after his last season’s outstanding performance in the IPL.
Harshal Patel was also good with the bat in hand as he hit two crucial
boundaries in the closing stages of RCB’s chase to help his team get over the
line.