Duffy returned with the bowling figures of 4-0-22-3 on a high-scoring Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Playing as a replacement for the injured Josh Hazlewood, the Kiwi pacer dismantled SRH’s explosive top order at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. He struck three times within the powerplay, dismissing Abhishek Sharma (7), Travis Head (11), and Nitish Kumar Reddy (1).
Duffy returned with the bowling figures of 4-0-22-3, maintaining an economy of 5.50 on a typically high-scoring ground.
Speaking after the game, Jacob Duffy described his debut IPL experience with RCB as "awesome", highlighting a well-rounded team performance.
“It was awesome," Duffy said after collecting the POTM award. “I’ve heard a lot of great things about Bangalore and RCB, and this was a hell of a way to start the campaign. I thought it was a pretty well-rounded team performance. I just tried to keep things fairly simple. The plan was to use the new ball, especially since it does a bit here in Bangalore. It can get tricky later on. I was lucky to pick up a few wickets early and then the skipper just kept giving me the ball. And as a bonus, I got to walk off after finishing my spell, a good day overall."
When asked about replacing Hazlewood, Duffy stated, “I am just keeping the big man’s seat warm! Josh had a really good season here last year, so it was about building on what he did well and trying to replicate that in my own way. I had a basic template coming into that tournament. There were a couple of tough moments, definitely a few long showers thinking things through! But this is a different kind of wicket. I haven’t seen this kind of bounce in the last couple of months. It’s not the easiest place for bowlers, so I’m just learning on the go."
RCB skipper Rajat Patidar showed immense faith on Jacob Duffy by handing him a fourth over on the trot, and the bowler was happy to accept the challenge
“That was the captain’s call," said the New Zealander, who was signed for a base price of Rs. 2 crore.
“He just told me to go, and I was more than happy to take it on. Like I said, when the ball is new and hard here, that’s probably the best time to bowl. I was fortunate to bowl in those phases and the other guys handled the tougher overs later," he concluded.
RCB made light work of the 202-run target, chasing it down in just 15.4 overs. Virat Kohli expertly anchored the chase, finishing unbeaten on 69 off 38. Devdutt Padikkal (61 off 26) and skipper Rajat Patidar (31 off 12) also returned with impactful knocks.