Dubai: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) suffered some very anxious moments before finally winning their IPL-13 encounter against Mumbai Indians (MI) here Monday. The game went to the Super Over with both teams tied on the score of 201. In the Super Over, MI scored only seven runs against Navdeep Saini of RCB. In reply RCB scored 11 to register their first win in the tournament. AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli batted in the Super Over for RCB. Both hit a boundary apiece to help their side win.
Ishan Kishan (99, 58b, 2×4, 9×6) and Kieron Pollard (60 n o, 24b, 3×4, 5×6) played some ‘unreal’ cricket to conjure up a near-impossible task for Mumbai Indians (MI) against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) during their IPL-13 encounter here Monday. Just when it seemed that RCB had sealed up the game the two launched a ferocious assault on the opposition bowler to take the game into the Super Over. It was something that did not even seem remotely possible when MI were 78 for four in the 12th over.
The two RCB bowlers to suffer the most during this assault were there two leg spinners. Yuzvendra Chahal (1/48) went for 22 in his last over while Adam Zampa (1/53) went for 27 runs. Had not Kishan holed out one short of his century to Isuru Udana (2/45) the match wouldn’t have gone into the Super Over.
Both sides finished on 201 for five to take the game into the Super Over, the second time in this tournament.
Fine knocks from AB de Villiers (55 n o, 24b, 4×4, 4×6), Devdutt Padikkal (54, 40b, 5×4, 2×6), Aaron Finch (52, 35b, 7×4, 1×6) and not to forget Shivam Dube (27 n o, 1×4, 3×6) propped RCN to 201 for three in 20 overs.
Earlier none of the MI batsmen got going against some tight bowling by Washington Sundar (1/12). They lost both openers Rohit Sharma (eight), Suryakumar Yadav (0) and Quinton de Kock (14) and were reduced to 39 by three by the end of the seventh over. But then came Ishan and Pollard fireworks which completely floored RCB. The two put on 100 runs in just 45 balls.
Earlier De Villiers turned the clock back with his magnificent hitting after Finch and Padikkal’s stroke-filled half centuries.
It was De Villiers, who used all his might during the death overs to smash his way to an unbeaten 55 taking the score past 200-run mark. His swift yet brutal assault of Jasprit Bumrah (0/42) will be remembered for a long time. Even James Pattinson (0/51) received a lot of stick as two speed merchants accounted for eight off the 10 sixes in the RCB innings. Trent Boult (2/34) was the most successful bowler for MI.
The last five overs produced 78 runs with Shivam Dube also hitting out. He smashed three sixes in his short duration at the crease.
Finch and Padikkal put on 81 runs for the first wicket and even though RCB lost Kohli quickly they had enough firepower to fall back on.
Brief scores: RCB 201 for 3 in 20 overs (AB de Villiers 55 n o, Devidutt Padikkal 54, Aaron Finch 52, Trent Boult 2/34). MI 201 for 5 in 20 overs (Ishan Kishan 99, Kieron Pollard 60 n o, Isuru Udana 2/44). Match tied. RCB won in Super Over
