Dubai: A fine captain’s knock from Rohit Sharma ensured Mumbai Indians an impressive six-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore in front of their home crowd at the Wankhede Stadium. For Mumbai Indians this victory has come as a big boost as they had lost three of their last four matches.
After restricting Bangalore to 170 for 7, Mumbai won with 12 balls to spare riding on Sharma’s knock of 62 runs off 44 balls with four boundaries and three sixes. Ambati Rayudu too scored 31 runs off 23 balls with five boundaries. Together they put on 76 runs in 9.1 overs to put their team on the track to victory.
Needing a run rate of 8.50 rus per overs, Mumbai lost their opener Parthiv Patel for 5 while going for wild shot of Kane Richardson and getting caught by AB De Villiers at point.
In the fourth over, Sharma hit two boundaries off Richardson to tide over the early set back. He also pulled Varun Aaron for a six over mid-wicket.
Ambati Rayudu too began stroking nicely and in the first ten overs, Mumbai raced to 81 for 1.
In the 11th over, Rayudu fell to left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdulla for 31 slog sweeping to Kane Richardson at deep mid-wicket.
Sharma reached his half century in 38 balls. He slog swept Abdulla for a huge six in the 13th over but fell to the last ball of that over lofting to De Villiers at long off for 62. Mumbai needed another 62 from 42 balls at this stage.
Jos Buttler and Kevin Pollard took the score to 140 for 4 putting on 31 runs in 2. 4 overs. Buttler hitting two consecutive sixes off Abdulla yielded his wicket in the same over for 28. Mumbai needed 31 runs from 26 balls. Pollard hitting Richardson for two consecutive sixes in the 17th ensured a comfortable victory. He remained unbeaten on 40 off 19 balls with four boundaries and three sixes.
Earlier, a fighting fifth wicket partnership of 63 runs in 5.4 overs between Travis Head and Sarfaraz Khan helped Bangalore post the fighting total Though Mumbai restricted the run flow after Bangalore got off to a quick start, Head by hitting 37 runs off 22 balls and Sarfaraz scoring 28 runs off 18 balls ensured a healthy total.
Bangalore run flow had slipped following a double wicket strike from left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya, who dismissed Virat Kohli and AB De Villiers in the 11th over.
Mumbai had won the toss and elected to bowl considering the dew factor. Lokesh Rahul opened the Bangalore innings with Kohli as their star opener Chris Gayle has flown back to Jamaica to be with his partner for the birth of their first child. He will miss the next two games.
Left-arm pacer Mitchell McClenaghan generated tremendous pace and bounce off the wicket and even hit Rahul’s helmet with a short-pitched delivery. In the third over, Kohli picked two boundaries off Tim Southee. The third over from McClenaghan was an eventful one with Rahul hitting two consecutive sixes and a boundary but fell to the fifth ball of the over by playing into the hands of Harbhajan Singh at slip for 23. The openers put on 32 runs in 3.5 overs.
AB De Villiers who joined Kohli escaped being run out at his score on 7. The pair then went on to accelerate the run rate with brilliantly timed shots. De Villiers even hit Hardik Pandya for a six over deep mid-wicket and the first ten overs produced 89 runs.
In the 11th over, left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya, brother of Hardik, picked the prize wicket of Kohli, who lofted to Southee at long off for 33. The pair put on 59 runs in 6.3 overs. With the last ball of the same over, Krunal had De Villiers stumped by Parthiv Patel for 29.
Travis Head, playing his first IPL match, joined Watson. The two quick wickets dipped the run flow. They could pick only three runs from the 12th over from Southee and the 13th over from Krunal they could get only two runs.
Mumbai re-introduced Jasprit Bumrah and with the third ball of the 14th over, he made Watson edge to wicket keeper Patel for 5. Next man Sarfaraz Khan picked a four after nearly four overs when he angled a shot over the wicketkeeper off Bumrah. At the end of the 15th over the strong RCB batting could muster only 112 for 4.
Head picked boundaries off McClenaghan and Bumrah to steer Bangalore past the 150 run mark. He also pulled McClenaghan for a six over mid-wicket. Sarfaraz too pulled McClenaghan for another six to pick an invaluable 18 runs in the 19th over. Head got run out in the last over for 37.
Brief scores: Mumbai Indians bt Royal Challengers Bangalore by six wickets. Royal Challengers Bangalore 170 for 7 in 20 overs (Virat Kohli 33, Lokesh Rahul 23, AB De Villiers 29, Travis Head 37, Sarfaraz Khan 28, Jasprit Bumrah 3 for 31, Krunal Pandya 2 for 27).
Mumbai Indians 171 for 4 in 18 overs (Rohit Sharma 62, Ambati Rayudu 31, Jos Buttler 28, Kevin Pollard 40n.o, Iqbal Abdulla 3 for 40)
