The Mumbai Indians maintained their 100 percent record in run chases this season after they chased down the 171-run target set by Royal Challengers Bangalore to win by six wickets.
After restricting the visitors to 170-7, the defending champions rode on a stroke-filled partnership between captain Rohit Sharma and Ambati Rayudu, and a cameo from the returning Kieron Pollard, to take two points from the match.
At a packed Wankhede Stadium, Rohit and Rayudu helped their team recover from the early loss of Parthiv Patel in style. Both batsmen found the gaps early on and importantly converted most loose deliveries to boundaries, in the pressure establishing momentum for the chase.
The hosts raced to 51 by the time the Powerplay overs were complete; in this period, Rohit had picked up two boundaries and a six, while Rayudu had sent three into the hoardings.
After a period of calm, Rayudu, who hit two boundaries in the tenth over, was dismissed in the eleventh when his slog-sweep found Kane Richardson at the boundary; he made 31 from 23 balls and was involved in a 76-run stand with his captain.
Rohit used the gift of timing, his ability to pick the gaps and tonk the ball to get to 62. He perished in the 13th over when, after hitting Iqbal Abdulla for a six and boundary, he tried to deposit one into the stands yet again but holed out to AB de Villiers at long off. MI 109 for 3.
Pollard and Jos Buttler were involved in a partnership of 31 runs which came off 16 balls. The latter was dismissed for 28 (14 balls) in the 16th over when he miscued an attempted big hit and was caught at short thirdman. The big man Pollard finished things off in style, hitting Shane Watson for a six and two boundaries – one of a thickish outside edge – in the eighteenth over to seal the deal; he remained unbeaten on 40, made from 19 balls and studded with four boundaries and as many sixes.
RCB’s bowlers gave the batsmen width and were guilty of banging the ball in short, and not surprisingly conceded as many as 16 fours and eight sixes in 18 overs. The left-arm spinner Abdullah returned with three wickets, though he conceded 40 runs in his four overs. As a unit, the quick bowlers conceded runs at the rate of 9.36 in their 14 overs, with Kane Richardson the only one to taste any success.
Earlier in the evening, RCB’s openers – Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, who was one of half a dozen changes made by the team – added 32 runs in 3.5 overs when the former was dismissed by Mitchell McClenaghan.
Virat and AB de Villiers then got together. The pair had added 157 and 107 in the previous two matches and it appeared they took off from where they had left it. Both batsmen matched each other boundary for boundary and ensured the early momentum wasn’t wasted. The pair needed just under six overs to bring up the 50 of the partnership.
At the halfway stage, RCB were 89 for 1 with two of their best batsmen in the middle going great guns. But Krunal Pandya turned the match on its head with two telling blows in the eleventh over; the left-arm spinner dismissed both the well-set batsmen in the space of five balls.
Virat’s attempt to hit the spinner into the stands saw the ball finding Tim Southee at long off; the RCB captain made 33 from 30 balls, which was studded with three boundaries. de Villiers was beaten in flight and stumped for 29.
There was more trouble for the visitors who two overs later lost the third international in their ranks; Shane Watson edged Jasprit Bumrah to the wicketkeeper and RCB, 91 for 1 at one stage, had slumped to 99 for 4.
It was then left to debutant Travis Head and young Sarfaraz Khan to revive the innings and take the team to a competitive score. The pair did not disappoint and played some exquisite strokes in their 63-run association. Travis hit two boundaries and two sixes in his 24-ball knock before he was run-out at the beginning of the final over. Sarfaraz Khan dispatched the third ball of the final over into the stands at midwicket before his scoop found Krunal Pandya at thirdman; the teenager made 28 from 18 balls and hit two boundaries and two sixes. RCB finished their 20 overs at 170-7.
For the home side, McClenaghan gave the team the initial breakthrough, but conceded 46 runs in his four overs. Bumrah was the most successful bowler returning with three wickets, while Krunal Pandya bowled an excellent spell, to finish with figures of 4-0-24-2.
Brief Scores
Royal Challengers Bangalore 170-7 in 20.0 Overs (Travis Head 37, Virat Kohli 33, Jasprit Bumrah 3-31, Krunal Pandya 2-27)
Mumbai Indians 171-4 in 18.0 Overs (Rohit Sharma 62, Kieron Pollard 40*, Iqbal Abdulla 3-40).
Man of the Match: Rohit Sharma, for his 44-ball 62.
