MUMBAI: The game was on a knife’s edge as Mumbai Indians entered their 19th over against Royal Challengers Bangalore.In the second innings on Monday, Wankhede Stadium was favouring spinners. Bangalore captain Virat Kohli took a gamble on youngster Pawan Negi, with Mumbai 22 runs short of the target.
Even though the left-arm spinner started encouragingly, beating Hardik Pandya off the first ball, the Mumbai batsman ran away with the match from there. He amassed 22 from the over with two fours and sixes each. Hardik’s unbeaten 37 off 16 gave Mumbai a five-wicket win, while chasing Bangalore’s 171/7.
The hosts started the chase confidently. Rohit Sharma (28) and Quinton de Kock (40) knocked off 65 in the powerplay. But Rohit was bowled by Moeen Ali off his first ball, that spun a lot. Three balls later, Moeen trapped De Kock in front.
The English spinner spun a web around Mumbai batsmen, giving away only 18 for two wickets. Yuzvendra Chahal also used the turning conditions well, claiming two wickets for 27. They did their bit to slow down Mumbai’s march to victory, but Hardik’s blinder undid their good work.Earlier, Lasith Malinga made a stunning comeback to the Mumbai camp, claiming four wickets to restrict Bangalore. His experience and cunning was crucial in the death overs.
For Bangalore, it was AB de Villiers who delivered again with 75 off 51. However, it wasn’t a typical innings Mumbai crowds are used to. The South African took his time to get going, scoring at under a run a ball in the beginning. Though De Villiers struggled to get going in the beginning, it was Moeen who helpedthe visitors accelerate. He scored five sixes.
Moeen and De Villiers put up 95 runs in 10.1 overs for the third wicket. But just when Bangalore looked like running away with it, Mumbai captain Rohit reintroduced Malinga. He made a dent immediately, doing in Moeen with a slower one. He dismissed Stoinis four balls later to shift the pressure squarely on Bangalore.
Batting has been a prime concern for Bangalore, who have won only one of their eight matches. Their middle order lacked the substance against Mumbai’s strong bowling. Of the nine Bangalore batsmen who played, only three reached double figures.Brief scores: Bangalore 171/7 in 20 ovs (De Villiers 75, Moeen 50; Malinga 4/31) lost to Mumbai 172/5 in 19 ovs (De Kock 40, Hardik 37 n.o).
Points table
Team M W L NRR Pts
CSK 8 7 1 +0.288 14
DC 8 5 3 +0.418 10
MI 8 5 3 +0.244 10
KKR 8 4 4 +0.350 8
KXIP 8 4 4 -0.093 8
SRH 7 3 4 +0.409 6
RR 7 2 5 -0.587 4
RCB 8 1 7 -1.114 2