Earlier, Royals skipper David Miller won the toss and put the Tallawahs into bat first. Kyle Mayers and Joshua Bishop combined to give them just the start they needed, dismissing both openers inside the first 4 overs for a score of 7. But Amir Jangoo and captain Rovman Powell teamed up to resurrect the Tallawahs innings after the initial setbacks. Powell, in particular, continued to carry his form from the last game, scoring his second consecutive fifty in two days as Jangoo played anchor from the other end. The duo put up a 57-run stand for the third wicket before Jason Holder came into the attack and broke the partnership.
Powell accelerated further but was dismissed in the 14th over for a well-made 52 off just 31 deliveries. Raymon Reifer then took charge, scoring a crucial 41 alongside Fabian Allen's handy knock of 20 to take Tallawahs to a decent total of 156/8 in their 20 overs.
McCoy, Holder bring their A-game
Left-arm pacer Obed McCoy was in his element, bringing his slower ball prowess to the fore to pick the key wicket of Powell. The Tallawahs captain attempted to hit a six off a full delivery, only to miscue it to deep mid-wicket, where Mayers took a stunning diving catch running forward. Powell's wicket opened up the floodgates as Obed returned to dismiss Allen with a similar delivery, this time wide outside off to be caught at extra cover in the 17th over, and then in the 19th to finish with figures of 3/24 in his 4 overs.
McCoy was brilliantly supported by Holder, who also bowled his full four overs to finish with 2 wickets and an economy of 6.00. It was his wicket of Jangoo that provided the Royals with the big breakthrough after dismissing the openers cheaply.
Quinton's maiden fifty
After missing out in the previous game, Quinton de Kock went on to score his maiden CPL fifty this time around, an unbeaten 64 that saw the Royals cruise comfortably towards their target. Accompanying him was the in-form Corbin Bosch, who registered his second half-century on the trot. Mayers fell early on in the chase but his dismissal had little bearing on the Quinton-Corbin pair, who went on a rampage against the Tallawahs bowlers by finding regular boundaries and keeping the asking rate in check. Their unbeaten 117-run partnership helped seal an 8-wicket win for the Royals, as they pocketed two more crucial points to stay at the top of the points table.
Here's skipper Miller on the team's performance: