Swapnil Singh has breathed new life into Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) IPL (Indian Premier League) 2024 campaign. The star bowling allrounder turned out to be the difference in RCB's previous clash with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad.
After electing to bat first, RCB's batting was looking unlikely to breach the 200-run mark before Swapnil arrived at the crease and took matters in his own hands.
Swapnil smashed the first ball of the final over from T Natarajan for a maximum to take RCB's score to 200 and followed it up with a boundary on the next delivery. The 33-year-old scored 12 off just six balls at a strike rate of 200 and fuelled RCB's innings with the impetus it needed.
Swapnil didn't limit himself to his batting cameo. The slow left-arm orthodox bowler picked up the ball in his hands and snared two of the biggest scalps that he could get.
Swapnil pinned Aiden Markram in front of his stumps at an individual score of seven and backed it up with the biggest scalp of the night when he got Heinrich Klaasen caught at the hands of Cameron Green to reduce SRH to 56/4 in five overs.
While he turned out to be a bit expensive as he bowled the difficult overs and got taken away for 40 in three overs, his two crucial scalps damaged the intent of the home side and they fell short of their target by 35 runs in the end.
Swapnil plays domestic cricket for Uttarakhand and is a reliable allrounder who is capable of pulling off stunning feats on the field. He was desperately waiting for an opportunity this season and made it count when it came his way.
With RCB still in contention for the playoffs, Swapnil will likely get more opportunities in the playing XI and might give more reasons for the RCB fans to smile and rejoice.
