RCB holds its nerve to win thriller against Mumbai Indians at Wankhede, Krunal shine with a four-wicket haul
Set a daunting target of 222, Mumbai Indians staged a stunning late recovery to turn the tables on their opponents but the task proved too difficult in the end for the hosts
Mumbai: Royal Challengers Bengaluru survived a massive scare from a doughty Mumbai Indians to end their six-match winless streak at the Wankhede Stadium with a 12-run victory in the Indian Premier League on Monday.
Set a daunting target of 222, Mumbai Indians staged a stunning late recovery to turn the tables on their opponents but the task proved too difficult in the end for the hosts, who have not lost a game here against RCB since 2015.
Mumbai Indians were reeling at 99 for four with their pursuit falling apart with the dismissal of Suryakumar Yadav (28), but skipper Hardik Pandya (42 off 15 balls) and Tilak Varma (56 off 29 balls) launched a stunning onslaught to bring them back into the contest.
Hardik went hammer and tongs while hitting three fours and four sixes, while Tilak also fought his way back into form, but the target proved far too much for Mumbai Indians who were again ordinary with the bat for a large part in their chase.
Rohit Sharma (17) was cleaned up by Yash Dayal (2/46) while swinging across an inswinging delivery and MI’s best batter Suryakumar struggled during his 28-run knock, for which he consumed 26 balls.
On the other hand, Tilak brought up his maiden fifty of the season off 26 balls to make a comeback after being retired out in the last game.
The fortunes swung when Hardik clobbered two sixes and as many fours off his first four balls off Krunal Pandya in the 14th over.
Before Hardik cut loose, Tilak had raced to 30 off 15 balls to keep MI’s faint hopes alive, which kept improving with every hit that the batters unleashed.
The asking rate had zoomed past 15 an over but MI kept clearing the ropes to remain in the hunt. But Tilak fell in the 18th over from Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/48) and Hardik in the penultimate over from Josh Hazlewood (2/37).
In the final over, MI needed 19 runs to win but Krunal Pandya (4/45) took three wickets to shut the doors on them.
Earlier, RCB rode on scintillating fifties from Virat Kohli (67) and skipper Rajat Patidar (64) to post 221 for five.
Kohli ruled the roost with a 42-ball 67 which gave RCB early impetus in Jasprit Bumrah’s (0/29) comeback game. Later on, Patidar’s 32-ball 64 (5x4s, 4x6s) and Jitesh Sharma’s 19-ball 40 (2x4s, 4x6s) ensured the RCB ended on a blazing note.
Phil Salt (4) played across the line to an inswinger from Trent Boult (2/57). Unfazed by the early blow, RCB recorded their highest powerplay score against Mumbai Indians by scoring 72/1, as both Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal (37 off 22 balls) went all guns blazing.
The momentum had swayed RCB’s way before MI introduced Bumrah in the fourth over, and Kohli welcomed his India teammate with a six over midwicket.
Going at nearly 10 an over, RCB collected 20 runs off the final over in the powerplay from Deepak Chahar as Padikkal tore into the India bowler, smacking two sixes and a four.
Padikkal was severe on any MI bowler who erred in his length, smashing three sixes and two fours before he was caught at the ropes off Vignesh Puthur in the ninth over. By then however, he had added 91 runs off 52 balls with Kohli for the second wicket.
Kohli has had significant success with the bat at Wankhede Stadium and Monday was no different — if he began with a few unconvincing boundaries, his exquisite drive through covers off Boult in the third over showed he was up for a big knock.
Having completed 13,000 runs to move into uncharted territory for any Indian in the format in a little over 400 matches, a century appeared on the horizon.
But, in the 15th over, Kohli uncharacteristically walked across the crease to heave Hardik over the leg side and found Naman Dhir at deep midwicket, as his innings ended with two sixes and eight fours.
Patidar brought up his fifty off only 25 balls. He struck MI skipper Hardik Pandya for 23 runs in the 17th over. His innings ended in the penultimate over when a top edge was grabbed near the ropes by a diving Ryan Rickelton in what was one of the most spectacular catches of this IPL season.
