IPL SRL | MI vs RCB Evaluation Chart: Virat-AB shine together as RCB steamroll 'intent-less' Mumbai Indians
Kohli scored an unbeaten century in IPL SRL today
|Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers’ camaraderie was well on show at the Wankhede Stadium today, as the duo established an unbeaten 188-run partnership to propel RCB to a 45-run win. Jasprit Bumrah was excellent for Mumbai upfront, but the story ended right there as everyone faltered massively.
Match Review
After being put to bat first, Royal Challengers Bangalore had a forgettable start, losing both their openers Aaron Finch and Parthiv Patel to an incredible spell of pace bowling by Jasprit Bumrah. The Mumbai speedster even put immense pressure on an out-of-form Virat Kohli, who had been struggling lately, but Kohli, with the help of AB de Villiers, broke the game down in phases. Once they were set, there was no stopping back as RCB reached 135 in 15 overs, and it was then only Kohli decided to go for his century. ABD, who had already scored his 50, took the backseat as the Indian hit Coulter-Nile to complete his century and helped take the side to 201. Both Kohli and ABD remained unbeaten with scores of 118 and 73, leaving the side in a completely different scenario than they were at the end of the powerplay.
Chasing 202, Mumbai started on a cautious note, with Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock not taking many risks upfront. The duo helped the side to 50 runs inside the powerplay, but after that, all hell broke loose. With Rohit and de Kock being dismissed on back-to-back deliveries, the responsibility fell on Chris Lynn and Kieron Pollard’s shoulders, only to be channelised further when Washington Sundar got rid of the duo 3 and 0 respectively. With Mumbai Indians being four down for 80, the result was almost given. Hardik Pandya came up a slender hope but his un-Hardik-like innings ensured Mumbai ending up with a sum total of 156/6 in 20 overs, suffering a 45-run loss.
Turning Point
Washington Sundar’s first over, the 10th of Mumbai’s innings, turned the game on its head and it was Mumbai, who walked away disappointed. By dismissing both Chris Lynn and Kieron Pollard, he virtually killed off the momentum. It showed in the way Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya batted as Bangalore raced away to a 45-run win.
Highs and Lows
It is Jasprit Bumrah’s world and we are just living in it. In the day and age of big bats and pulled ropes, can there ever be a better sight than a young gun streaming in and delivering a maiden over inside the powerplay? Well, Bumrah’s breath-taking maiden topped all possible charts to be considered as the best over moment in the whole game. No competition, I am leaving it all here.
I would stick to the point that Hardik Pandya could have been the biggest difference today but his approach reeked of a bigger problem. The Baroda all-rounder came out to bat when the target was still chaseable, but he showed no intent whatsoever despite RCB batsmen showing that this was a batting paradise by all means.
Rating Charts
Powerplay exploitation: Mumbai 6.5/10 Bangalore 3/10
Jasprit Bumrah and RCB is a sad predicament of a real cricket story. After dismissing Aaron Finch on the very first ball of the match, Bumrah showcased a powerplay bowling performance for ages, giving away only four runs in his three overs. Virat Kohli, who hit Dhawal Kulkarni for a six to announce his arrival, was left alone either, struggling to middle any of them. Bumrah’s maiden over and a couple of wickets put the Bangalore side in an uncomfortable situation, yielding only 34 runs.
With a daunting total to be chased down, Mumbai needed their star opening duo of Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock to stand up and deliver. And deliver they did in the powerplay, guiding the side to 50/0 in the first six overs, with the base acting as the first fundamental step to glory. Navdeep Saini, a wily operator with the new ball, was easily nullified, with Umesh Yadav being a touch expensive, giving away 10 an over. More than the runs scored, them going into the middle overs unscathed was the bigger solace for the Mumbai side.
Middle over Manoeuvring: Mumbai 3.5/10 Bangalore 8/10
The SRL might not have been kind for Virat Kohli, who has been really lackadaisical this season but cometh the hour, cometh the man. After RCB were reduced to 34/2 inside the powerplay, the mutual appreciation society of Kohli and de Villiers took over, adding runs by a tickle. The duo added 101 runs in the nine-over period, with the Indian skipper doing the bulk of the damage. By the time 15th over came to an end, the duo had added 122 runs in an unbroken partnership, with the threat of Bumrah gone to a large extent.
This phase was going to be extremely crucial for the hosts, but losing regular wickets threw a spanner in their works, with a total of 66 runs being added to the tally. There were hopes even after Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock’s dismissal, but the way Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya batted, Mumbai fans dreaded their fortune. Pandya, for instance, scored 15 off 23 balls at one point in time, making it Bangalore’s game to lose.
Death Bowling: Mumbai 2/10 Bangalore 6/10
If Mumbai fans would have thought that the damage was a thing of the past, they had a mare awaiting for them at the death, with no one, not even Bumrah, was spared. Kohli was even more resilient in the last five overs, with the incredible bat swing of de Villiers adding to it. Bumrah conceded 22 runs in over, with 29 runs coming off Kulkarni’s two over, which took RCB past 200, with Kohli scoring 118 off 59 balls. Such was the RCB talisman’s dominance that he hit Coulter-Nile for a six to get to his triple-figure mark, with AB’s stunning 73 looking pale at the other end.
86 runs were needed in the last five overs of Mumbai innings, with both Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav going slow. There had been many games in the past when Pandya just stepped foot on the accelerator to turn the table, but RCB bowlers were more disciplined this time. Much had to do with the way spinners strangled in the middle-over phase, but it was truly commendable to give away only 40 runs in the last five overs to ensure a big win.
Match Frenzy O Meter - GREAT
This was one hell of a T20 game when runs came both like the flow of water and later at a premium. Incredible Virat, Brilliant ABD but much before that an audacious spell by Jasprit Bumrah, this was a proper T20 package for any neutral fan.
