Live Cricket Score - RCB vs DC, Match 56, IPL 2021

That's all from us folks! The playoffs await us then. Until next time ...

RCB WIN THRILLER

It came down to 5 off the last ball and Bharat smashed Avesh Khan over long-on to seal a thrilling RCB win. Superb innings this but pretty poor execution from DC and the pacer.

It was all in the bag for DC. On the penultimate delivery, RCB were given a couple that put Bharat back on strike and leave RCB needing 6 off the last ball. Avesh then bowled a wide to leak one more additional run. Bharat capped off the day with a huge six to help RCB prevail. Maxwell and Bharat made 111 for the fourth wicket to lead RCB home.

RCB 150 for 3 - need 15 off 6

Maiden IPL fifty for Srikar Bharat ...

5 overs to go - RCB need 57 off 30.

Bharat and Maxwell have ensured RCB stay in the hunt. Their partnership is now 53 off 33 and that means RCB have a manageable target ahead of them. A lot will depend on how the pair plans the next 30 deliveries to deny DC their 11th win this season.

De Villiers goes

RCB struggling now. De Villiers is caught in the deep trying to up the ante. Axar gets his first.

RCB 65 for 3

Powerplay done - RCB 29 for 2

Two down

Nortje is hurting RCB and he's now dismissed the captain. Kohli tried to take on the pacer and gets caught at mid-on.

RCB 11 for 2 in three overs

DUCK!

Padikkal has been dismissed for a golden duck. Short ball and at some serious pace, Padikkal wasn't watching the ball closely and guides it to third man. Ashwin takes the simple catch and DC have struck early.

RCB 4 for 1

Padikkal and Kohli have walked out to open. Nortje has the ball. Easy chase for RCB?

DC - 164 for 5

DC scored 88 in the first ten overs and then only 76 in the final ten overs. Hetmyer needed to propel DC but he falls for 29 on the last ball of the innings. RCB will be very pleased with this effort especially after they failed to pick a wicket in the first ten overs.

15 overs done - DC 128 for 3

Three down

Christian gets the big wicket of Pant. Length ball and bowled into the pitch, was too close to cut and Pant is caught behind. In 20 runs, DC have lost three wickets now.

DC 108 for 3

Two down

Shaw falls now and two short of his half-century. Chahal gets the wicket and it was a fumbling catch from Garton. DC have been pushed back but still in a good position to get a big score.

DC 105 for 2 in 11 overs

Harshal strikes

Dhawan goes and RCB have a break. Slower ball and Dhawan was too early. Easy catch for Christian at extra cover.

DC 95 for 1 in 11 overs

10 overs done

Alrighty then, DC have the licence to smash it in the last ten overs. Dhawan and Shaw have made unbeaten 88 in the opening ten overs. Both batters are in their 40 and RCB need wickets quickly to hurt DC now.

Powerplay done

Ishan Kishan is leading the carnage against SRH. In this game though, DC openers have ensured the side has made a steady start and have batted out the first six overs without losing a wicket.

DC 55 for no loss

Alrighty then, Dhawan and Shaw to open for DC. Maxwell has the ball and we are all set ...

In case you are wondering about the MI-SRH game -

TOSS - RCB opt to field; both teams unchanged

DC - Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (w/c), Ripal Patel, Shimron Hetmyer, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Avesh Khan, Anrich Nortje

RCB - Virat Kohli (c), Devdutt Padikkal, Srikar Bharat(w), Daniel Christian, Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers, Shahbaz Ahmed, Harshal Patel, George Garton, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal

Hello and welcome to the live blog of the IPL 2021 match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals. Before we get going with the build up for the game, here's Bharath Ramaraj's preview -

Less than 48 hours after SRH put a spanner in the works of Virat Kohli's side by sealing a thriller, RCB will take on Delhi Capitals in Dubai. RCB would have hoped to finish in the top two in the league phase in order to find an escape route from the Eliminator. However, the loss against SRH proved to be costly and even if they win by a massive margin versus DC, there is a very, very slim chance of usurping CSK from the second position.

Despite RCB's chances of finishing in the top two effectively going up in smoke, they have a lot of positives to take from the tournament so far including match-ups and tactics. For instance, in the match against SRH, Shahbaz Ahmad's left-arm spin was used early on in the innings against Jason Roy, with the opener having a slice of luck or two. With the pitch offering some grip, Dan Christian and Harshal Patel shortened their lengths and employed cutters, alongside the occasional loppy, slower one. Meanwhile, Glenn Maxwell continued to show exemplary judgement against the spinners and played with fluency on a track where every other batter more or less struggled for timing.

For all the progress RCB have made, there is still a bit of polishing to be done. AB de Villiers, one of the lynchpins of RCB's batting unit, has aggregated just 69 runs in the UAE leg of the IPL. Moreover, in the end overs, one of De Villiers' key strengths is to get underneath the deliveries and crack the big shots. Unfortunately for RCB, in the game against SRH, he couldn't showcase his slog overs skills. In his defence, it has to be observed that Bhuvneshwar Kumar gave a good account of his slog overs smarts by keeping it away from De Villiers' zone and also forced him to clear the longer part of the boundary. The RCB think-tank could still look at moving De Villiers up the order, especially considering the point that filling the number 3 slot has been a bit of a headache.

Meanwhile, the DC camp would be pepped up after overcoming the other frontrunner of the tournament so far - CSK. The plus point for DC is any of the five bowlers - Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Avesh Khan, R Ashwin and Axar Patel - can carry the asterisk of being the spearhead. In the match versus CSK, Nortje and Avesh ended up bowling a few extras, but the spin duo covered up for it by sharing three wickets and gave away only 38 runs. As and when Marcus Stoinis returns to full fitness, it just adds balance to the side. If there is one minor worry, it could be the lack of striking ability lower down the order. Even though Shimron Hetmyer has tried to keep the lower-middle order afloat with his power-packed shots.