IPL 2018: Royal Challengers Bangalore Beat Mumbai Indians by 14 Runs to Go Fifth
A good show by bowlers helped Royal Challengers Bangalore beat fellow laggards Mumbai Indians by 14 runs in an Indian Premier League match at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru on Tuesday. Chasing 168, Mumbai Indians managed 153/7 despite Hardik Pandya’s 42-ball 50 – the only half-century from either side on the night.
RCB began their defense on a perfect note when Tim Southee produced peach of a delivery to clean up MI opener Ishan Kishan for a first-ball duck in the first over. Umesh Yadav then picked up two wickets in successive deliveries including the scalp of captain Rohit Sharma (0) to put his team on top.
The wickets of Kieron Pollard (13) and JP Duminy (23) all but ended MI’s hopes. However, the Pandya brothers – Krunal and Hardik – kept the contest alive with a 56-run stand between them. But the pair of Mohammed Siraj (2/28) and Southee (2/25) bowled excellently in the death overs to limit MI to 153. With their third win of the season, RCB climbed up to the fifth spot with six points.
Earlier, Mumbai bowlers leaked runs towards to the end after keeping RCB batsmen in check for the better part of the innings after opting to field. Captain Virat Kohli (32) and Brendon McCullum (37) added 60 quick runs in the middle overs to help the side recover from a slow start but Hardik (3/28) scalped three batsmen in an over and effected a run out to stop the hosts from running away with a big total as they posted 167/7.
Colin de Grandhomme (23* from 10) hit three sixes in the last over, bowled by fellow New Zealander Mitchell McClenaghan, to provide a flourishing finish to the innings.
Opener Manan Vohra (45) played a useful knock at the top before being trapped by Mayank Markande. As the wicket offered turn and pacers too generated pace, Mumbai Indians succeeded in straight-jacketing the RCB batsmen. Since it had rained, there was dampness in the wicket, causing the ball to come a bit slow on the bat.
Vohra broke the shackles by creaming off 22 runs from South African allrounder JP Duminy’s second over. McClenaghan, though, kept troubling Quinton de Kock (7), who struggled to connect the bat with the ball and was eventually caught brilliantly by Rohit Sharma at short mid-wicket off the Kiwi paceman.
Considering the conditions, expectedly, all three spinners were employed by captain Rohit Sharma. Krunal Pandya turned the ball away from McCullum while impressive Markande yet again kept the batsmen on a tight leash.
The spinner was hit for a six by Vohra but Markande trapped his Ranji teammate from Punjab. It brought skipper Kohli at the crease who came to bat at number four. The hosts claimed 20 runs from the 10th over, bowled by Hardik, with McCullum hitting him for two sixes and a four.
Runs began to flow with both Kohli, who launched Markande for a huge six, and McCullum getting into the groove. Hardik was bang on target when the Kiwi batsman attempted a single and was run out.
Pandya then ripped apart the RCB batting line up by dismissing Mandeep Singh (14), who looked in good touch, Kohli and Washington Sundar (1) in the 18th over.
Courtesy : timesofindia.indiatimes
