Match Review

You can check out the scorecard and Match Tracker here.

Virat Kohli’s dismissal once again was the turning point in the encounter, despite Bangalore putting over 180 on board. The reason, fairly obvious, despite the start that RCB got off to, 180 was all they could put up on board. They already had scored 70 runs in the powerplay phase, which only helped the rest of the batting order to get going from the first ball. However, not only did Kohli not get off to a good start but also wasted the opportunity for the others to showcase their natural game. His 20-ball 17 definitely turned the momentum around for the home side, who were cruising at one point in the encounter. 

Highs and Lows

Quinton de Kock’s rare off-day was arguably the lowest point in the game, with the southpaw making an early exit without making any sort of impression. Hang on, the only impression that he made was a rather sad one for the Mumbai fans, with his first ball exit against the budding Indian pacer Navdeep Saini. Rohit Sharma would feel definitely feel let down by his batting partner after RCB had earlier posted a huge total on board. The management would surely be pointing at the Proteas star for him to return back to the form he showed in the early part of the competition. 

Rating Charts

The duo of Parthiv Patel and Aaron Finch lit the stage up for the home side on the day while the Mumbai Indians bowlers were left in literal tears. Until the two over mark, the Challengers were taking it slowly before Finch decided to unleash his blade. The blade left the Mumbai Indians bowlers in tatters, with him scoring 45 runs in the next three overs. Patel, too, did not disappoint as in the end, the Reds got to a total of 68 runs without losing a single wicket, with ABD and Kohli still waiting in the hut. 

In contrast, Mumbai Indians suffered the pressure of chasing a huge target, which was visible throughout their powerplay overs. In the very first over, the Indian bowling sensation Navdeep Saini picked up the crucial wicket of Quinton de Kock, which, at one point, looked like it put the game to rest. The Indian did not stop there, picking another wicket before the powerplay phase came to an end. However, Mumbai only could manage to score 48 runs after the six-over period. 

The way RCB followed up their powerplay was disappointing. After putting up 68 runs board without any reply, they let Mumbai back into the encounter with some ordinary batting. Parthiv Patel was the first to exit, with Nathan Coulter-Nile pulling one back for the tourists. It was Krunal Pandya’s timely wicket of Finch, though, which ultimately slowed the hosts down in sublime fashion. After the ten over mark, they could only put up two over blocks of 12 runs an over, adding 70 runs in the middle phase of the innings. 

If the side is already two down, chasing 186 in a T20 encounter, it puts the middle order in a lot of pressure. However, that is exactly where Mumbai Indians excel, with a batting order as deep as some of the oceans around the world. Till the 12th over mark, it was the duo of Rohit-Suryakumar Yadav which led the three-time IPL winning franchise. Once Yadav took the long walk, Pollard joined skipper Rohit as they were just behind RCB’s total after the same mark. 

In the last phase of the innings, Mumbai bowlers found their mojo back, picking four wickets. On the other hand, where it mattered, the RCB lower-order could only score 46 runs, out of which AB de Villiers was the biggest contributor. His 36-ball 61 towards the end was enough to take the home side to a total of 184. For MI, Dhawal Kulkarni’s triple wicket spell was enough to stop RCB from getting to a 200+ score. 

Kohli and co’s death bowling lasted exactly three overs - where they went from winning the game to terribly folding under pressure, all in the span of 18 deliveries. Chris Morris and Umesh Yadav definitely did not help the cause, conceding 38 runs in the last two, when the game was still winnable for the home side. Rohit-Pollard took the franchise home comfortably, thwarting RCB’s attack to all parts of the ground. 

The game had all segments worthy of T20 cricket, with a near-perfect T20 game on display. Barring the exceptionally slow innings from Indian skipper Virat Kohli, every other batsman on the day scored with a mind-boggling strike-rate. On top of that, Rohit Sharma constantly put the ball out of the ground en route to his 110, which came off just 58 deliveries.