Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Virat Kohli watches the ball after playing a shot during the IPL match against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Monday. | AFP
Mumbai Indians put up a lion-hearted effort in their chase of 222 but could not stop the rampaging Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) from registering a historic 12-run win in their IPL match at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday.
The victory was RCB’s first over Mumbai Indians at the iconic Wankhede in a decade since their last triumph in the 2015 edition.
Rajat Patidar’s side also broke a streak of six straight defeats to MI at the Wankhede to record the victory over Mumbai Indians as they restricted them to 209/9 in 20 overs.
However, this was not before Mumbai Indians’ resurgent performance to get close to the target.
Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya’s breathtaking partnership of 89 runs for the fifth wicket was the heart and soul of Mumbai Indians’ chase of a mammoth 222 for victory.
Skipper Pandya was going at a strike rate of 340 when the strategic timeout was taken after 16 overs with him on 34 off just 10 balls with two fours and four sixes. Varma was on 47 runs off 23 balls with four fours and three sixes at a strike rate of 204.
Varma’s fifty came off 26 balls in 42 mins but he was eventually out for 56.
Naman Dhir was in no mood to let go either as he tonked a six off the first ball he faced but Mumbai Indians were dealt a body blow when Pandya was caught at deep mid-wicket by Liam Livingstone off Josh Hazlewood as the home side’s hopes evaporated.
Earlier, skipper Rajat Patidar and the great Virat Kohli smashed sensational half-centuries as the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) set Mumbai Indians a massive target of 222.
It was an absolute run-feast at the Wankhede with Kohli cracking 67, Patidar slamming 64, Devdutt Padikkal chipping in with 37 and Jitesh Sharma blasting 40 as RCB ratcheted up 221/5 in 20 overs.
Kohli gave the initial impetus with 67 coming off 42 balls while Patidar struck 64 in just 32 balls with five fours and four sixes at a strike rate of 200.
Jitesh Sharma’s late flourish with 40 off 18 balls with two fours and four sixes at a strike rate of 210 that got them to 221.
The first three balls of the match summed up what the IPL was all about. An edge of the seat potboiler and when two teams of the caliber of Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru collide, its tantalising.
Phil Salt whacked Trent Boult for a four off the opening delivery, only to be magnificently clean bowled the very next delivery to send the Wankhede into wild celebrations.
New man Devdutt Padikkal wastes no time to resume the proceedings as he socked Boult for a boundary through the covers on the third ball.
It was business as usual with eights runs off the first over by Boult with the prized wicket of Salt in the MI kitty.
RCB were in no mood to let the momentum slip as Virat Kohli and Padikkal got going in the third over with Boult at the receiving end.
Kohli cracked two eye-catching fours while Padikkal slammed a maximum off the New Zealander as 15 runs came off the third over.
Jasprit Bumrah was welcomed back after the injury induced break by Kohli’s ingenuity to manufacture a six out of a virtual classic yorker from one of the world’s best bowlers.
The RCB great was in a belligerent mood as reached 35 off just 18 balls at a strike rate of 194 with five fours and a six after five overs.
The visitors were looking ominous from Hardik Pandya’s perspective as they made optimum use of the powerplay restrictions.
Devdutt Padikkal was in some mood and Deepak Chahar turned out to be his bogeyman in the last over of the powerplay as he hoisted him for two big sixes and a four that further piled on the misery for the Mumbai Indians.
The visitors were 73/1 after the end of the powerplay looking well set to comfortably top 200 and set MI a daunting target.
Kohli brought up his fifty off just 29 balls with a huge six off Vignesh Puthur in the eighth over as he upped the ante.
Padikkal looked to go the Kohli way but Puthur had the last laugh getting him caught at long on by Will Jacks as he perished for 37 off 22 balls.
RCB were poised for a huge total at 100/2 after the completion of 10 overs.
Skipper Rajat Patidar was giving Kohli able company and in the 13th over started to change gears as he played an immaculate and innovative lap shot behind the wicket that went over the boundary.
Perhaps, the most crucial moment of the RCB innings occurred when Kohli uncharacteristically walked across the wicket to Hardik Pandya and holed out to Naman Dhir at deep mid wicket.
Patidar was keeping RCB on track with a fifty that came off just 25 balls and took Pandya out for two consecutive sixes and a four in the 17th over as MI ran short of ideas.
The MI captain conceded 23 runs off the 17th over which put RCB in a position to set a target of 220-plus.
RCB brought up their 200 in 18.1 overs and 93 minutes.
