Player of the Match: Faf du Plessis, in honour of Yash Dayal

17 to win the final over. Yash Dayal attaining his highest point. The two batters occupying the crease are MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja. Everything was set up for an exciting conclusion.

It was Dayal who emerged victorious after six deliveries, leading his team not just to a win but also a postseason berth. Even after being struck for a massive six over a long leg of 110 metres, Dayal showed amazing poise, giving up just one run in the next five deliveries. His exceptional control became apparent when he pulled off a daring, slower delivery with the back of his hand that confounded the imposing Dhoni and resulted in a catch down the throat of deep square leg. RCB’s historic victory was secured, but even Jadeja’s brilliant form was insufficient as he failed to connect with the final two deliveries of the game.

In addition to leading his team in scoring with 54 (39), RCB captain Faf du Plessis also dismissed Mitchell Santner by hitting a world-class blow at mid-off, adding to the pressure on CSK’s batting lineup. For these reasons, he was declared the Player of the Match. During the post-match press conference, he expressed his belief that the match should not be distracted from RCB’s clenched fists during Dhoni’s middle-over stint, given the number of times the former Indian captain has won.

He also praised Dayal’s wet-ball bowling technique and said he would like to dedicate the POTM award to the 26-year-old, who has only recently begun death-bowling duties but has shown remarkable nervelessness and the capacity to absorb the pressure in its entirety.

“That was obviously really close. There was a moment when MS [Dhoni] was present and it was like, “Oh no, no! Refrain from giving it to him. He has done it numerous times. I felt that the way we bowled with the wet ball was difficult for the bowlers, even if we attempted to alter the ball a few times. I dedicate the Player of the Match award to Yash Dayal on my behalf. He bowled tonight in an incredible manner. During the post-match press conference, du Plessis declared, “That pressure at the back end for a guy who is pretty new to the role, he deserves the POTM.”

Enjoy this and have faith in your abilities—you’ve been pretty good. from Yash Dayal to du Plessis

Du Plessis acknowledged that he thought it was best to slow down the tempo on the specific surface they were playing on during a contest where bowlers were finding it difficult to execute yorkers. After Dhoni hit a deliberate yorker that resulted in a hip-high leg-stump full-toss for a six, he revealed the conversation he had with the left-arm bowler.

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He advised him to have faith in his abilities and skills, considering his track record of success in pressure situations and bowling variations. After their conversation, the bowler gave an exceptionally good performance, of which du Plessis was extremely proud.

“Pace off is the greatest option on this wicket, I said. Have faith in your abilities; you’ve done a great job, and have fun. Du Plessis said, “He attempted to bowl the first one as a yorker, but the yorker wasn’t working the entire night. We urged him to go back to his pace, and he did that incredibly effectively.