Mumbai: Royal Challengers Bengaluru rode on scintillating fifties from Virat Kohli (67) and skipper Rajat Patidar (64) to set a daunting 222-run target for Mumbai Indians in their IPL match here Monday.
Kohli ruled the roost with a 42-ball 67 which gave RCB early impetus in Jasprit Bumrah’s (0/29) comeback game. Later on, Patidar’s 32-ball 64 (5x4s, 4x6s) and Jitesh Sharma’s 19-ball 40 (2x4s, 4x6s) ensured the RCB ended at 221 for five.
Phil Salt (4) played across the line to an inswinger from Trent Boult (2/57) which was pitched on the middle stump and was cleaned up on the second ball after crunching the first for a four.
Unfazed by the early blow, RCB recorded their highest powerplay score against Mumbai Indians by scoring 72/1, as both Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal (37 off 22 balls) went all guns blazing.
The momentum had swayed RCB’s way before MI introduced Bumrah in the fourth over, and Kohli welcomed his India teammate with a six over midwicket.
Going at nearly 10 an over, RCB collected 20 runs off the final over in the powerplay from Deepak Chahar as Padikkal tore into the India bowler, smacking two sixes and a four.
RCB’s onslaught had also left MI clueless for a while, as Will Jacks was brought on to bowl inside the powerplay and was duly punished for 10 runs.
Padikkal was severe on any MI bowler who erred in his length, smashing three sixes and two fours before he was caught at the ropes off Vignesh Puthur in the ninth over. By then however, he had added 91 runs off 52 balls with Kohli for the second wicket.
Kohli has had significant success with the bat at Wankhede Stadium and Monday was no different — if he began with a few unconvincing boundaries, his exquisite drive through covers off Boult in the third over showed he was up for a big knock.
Kohli capitalised on every opportunity to score, whether it was picking gaps with ease or his immaculate running between the wickets.
Having completed 13,000 runs to move into unchartered territory for any Indian in the format in a little over 400 matches, a century appeared on the horizon.
But, in the 15th over, Kohli uncharacteristically walked across the crease to heave Pandya over the leg side and found Naman Dhir at deep midwicket, as his innings ended with two sixes and eight fours.
Patidar was belligerent with his strokes down the ground as well as behind the wicket, bringing up his fifty off only 25 balls. He struck MI skipper Hardik Pandya for 23 runs in the 17th over.
Patidar’s innings ended in the penultimate over when a top edge was grabbed near the ropes by a diving Ryan Rickelton in what was one of the most spectacular catches of this IPL season.
