Mumbai Indians beat hosts Royal Challengers Bangalore by 6 runs, in a nail biter contest marked with numerous umpiring errors. RCB needed six runs off the final ball to take the game into a Super Over. The final delivery bowled by Lasith Malinga to Shivam Dube was a no-ball, but this was missed by the on-field umpire. Had the umpire noticed this, RCB would’ve got an extra run, an extra ball and AB de Villiers on strike.
Angry Virat Kohli slammed the umpires at the post match presentation, “We are playing at the IPL level. We are not playing club cricket. That is just a ridiculous call (last ball). The umpires should have their eyes open. It was a no-ball by an inch. It’s completely different game altogether. If it is a game of margins, I don’t know what is happening. They should have been more sharp and careful out there.”
Mumbai Indians set a target of 187 runs, Royal Challengers started off on right notes after their disastrous batting in Chennai. The star for RCB was the South African AB de Villiers, who got 70 runs off 41 balls. Kohli set his intentions at the beginning itself by hitting Jasprit Bumrah for three consecutive boundaries in one over. However, the master of the white ball Bumrah single handedly won the game for MI with superb 17th and 19th overs.
Hardik Pandya was badly smashed during this four over quota, while Mayank Markande got the first wicket for MI by dismissing Parthiv Patel at 31 with a googly.
Virat Kohli became the second man after Suresh Raina to complete 5000 runs in Indian Premier League, while AB de Villiers too completed 4000 runs in IPL.
When RCB put MI to bat, Hardik Pandya sent few balls out of the park to help Indians post a decent total of 187 for 8. Pandya hit three sixes and two fours in his unbeaten 32 off 14 balls after Yuzvendra Chahal reduced MI from a comfortable 124 for 2 to 147 for 7.
MI lost five wickets in a space of 3.3 overs for only 23 runs. This was after a vintage Yuvraj Singh was raising visions of a six sixes over with three maximums in Chahal’s 14th over. However he wasn’t fourth time lucky.
Chahal removed Suryakumar Yadav at 38 off 24 balls and Kieron Pollard in quick succession to bring RCB right back in the match. Mumbai captain Rohit Sharma grabbed 48 off 33 balls and Quinton de Kock claimed 23 off 20 adding 54 runs for the opening stand.