Cam Green finally finds his touch to help RCB keep their IPL finals hopes alive

Cameron Green has delivered a timely player-of-the-match display with bat, ball and in the field to keep Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s hopes alive in the IPL.

At the same time, the Australian allrounder dented the chances of his compatriots David Warner and Jake Fraser-McGurk reaching the play-offs as his allround heroics propelled RCB to a 47-run over Delhi Capitals.

Green hasn’t had an easy time since his big-money transfer from Mumbai Indians to RCB, but as the stakes have got higher with the battle for play-off places intensifying, he has upped his game, and played a big hand in front of ecstatic Bengaluru fans on Sunday (Monday AEST).

First, he held RCB’s disintegrating innings together with an unbeaten 32 which, while not a whirlwind affair off 24 balls, at least ensured they could reach a challenging total of 9-187 following Rajat Patidar’s earlier 32-ball 52 and Will Jacks’ 41 off 29.

Then when Delhi looked threatening in the chase, he delivered a thrilling run-out, sprinting to pick up a mis-hit off his own bowling, before turning and throwing in one movement to get rid of the dangerous Tristan Stubbs with a direct hit.

Green bowled a miserly four overs which went for just 19 runs in all and also featured the wicket of Rasikh Salam.

“Obviously, a great game for us. We’ve found form in the last few games, when we couldn’t win initially,” said the 24-year-old, celebrating RCB’s fifth win in a row which moves them above Delhi and into fifth on the table.

He has stepped up at just the right time in the absence of fellow Aussie allrounder Glenn Maxwell, who’s been sidelined nearing the end of his poor season.

In the chase, Warner returned for Delhi as an impact player after a five-match break following a finger injury, but he lasted just two balls, getting caught on the boundary trying to hoik spinner Swapnil Singh over long-on.

At the other end, Fraser-McGurk showed his veteran partner the way, smashing his first ball from Swapnil for a huge six over long off and then showing no respect to Test pacer Mohammed Siraj, smiting 14 off his first over.

But the young Aussie gun got no luck when Shai Hope hit a glorious straight drive, which bowler Yash Dayal deflected on to the non-striker’s stumps, leaving Fraser-McGurk hopelessly stranded, having hit 21 off eight balls.

The 22-year-old’s strike rate after scoring 330 runs in eight innings is now an extraordinary 237.41, but Warner (168 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 134.40) is going to the World Cup while he isn’t.

Defending champions Chennai Super Kings also remain in contention for the play-offs after they beat Rajasthan Royals by five wickets in the earlier game, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad’s 41-ball 42no steering them home on 5-145.

Chennai are third in the table on 14 points, the same as Pat Cummins’ Sunrisers Hyderabad but with a better net run-rate.