IPL 2018, MI vs RCB: Hits and Misses

For the fourth consecutive time, Rohit Sharma lost the toss and as a result for the fourth consecutive time, Mumbai Indians were batting first.

Royal Challengers Bangalore got the perfect start as Umesh Yadav knocked over Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan on the first two deliveries of the match.

However, Evin Lewis and Rohit Sharma counter-attacked. Lewis scored 65 while the MI skipper scored a superb 94 to take MI to 213.

Chasing a mammoth total, RCB were off to a good start as Virat Kohli and Quinton de Kock scored 40 in the first four overs.

But the visitors lost wickets at regular intervals to leave Kohli stranded at the other end. The RCB skipper fought a lone battle and scored a valiant 92.

Eventually, RCB lost by 46 runs and it was Mumbai’s first win of the season.

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#5 Hit: Virat Kohli

Kohli scored a valiant 92

Kohli roared back into form with a sublime 57 against Rajasthan Royals. But he got out to a half-tracker and RCB crumbled after his dismissal in that game.

Chasing a mammoth 214 in this game, Kohli opened the batting in the absence of Brendon McCullum.

He started very well as he scored 19 off 13 deliveries. But the wickets of De Kock and AB de Villiers set him back. He cut out the risks, put his head down and batted through the innings.

Every time it looked like he was trying to cut loose, RCB lost wickets. Kohli batted till the end and scored a superb 92 to reduce RCB’s margin of defeat.

Kohli in his 62-ball knock struck seven fours and four sixes, but all in vain.

#4 Miss: RCB spinners

Chahal had a disappointing outing

Yuzvendra Chahal has been Kohli’s go-to bowler for the past few years for RCB. In an innings where RCB conceded 217 against Rajasthan Royals in their last game, Chahal had outstanding figures of 2/22 in his four overs.

On the other hand, Sundar had a couple of really good games (2/22 against KXIP and 0/30 against RR).

In this game, Sundar bowled the fourth over of the innings and was welcomed with a boundary by MI skipper Rohit Sharma.

The 18-year-old was taken for 19 runs in his first over. He then came back for his second over and gave 13 runs.

Sundar who is known for his tight lines was a bit erratic and he paid the price as he finished with figures of 0/32 in his two overs.

Meanwhile, Chahal came on to bowl with Lewis and Sharma going very well. He bowled a decent first over as he conceded nine runs despite being hit for a six.

However, he conceded 24 runs in his next two overs.

Hence, overall, the RCB spinners conceded 64 runs in the five overs they bowled.

#3 Hit: Krunal Pandya

Krunal Pandya was excellent in the middle overs

Krunal Pandya has become a vital part of the Mumbai Indians setup over the last couple of years.

He started the season with a good 41 (off 22 balls) against Chennai Super Kings. He then got starts in the other two games as well. He was good with the ball as well.

In this game, the elder Pandya got another start as he scored 15 off 12 balls. With the ball, he bowled the second over and was taken for 13 runs as Kohli and De Kock combined to hit three fours.

However, Pandya came back really well as he just six runs in his second over before taking three wickets in his next two overs.

He got Mandeep Singh stumped before he dismissed Corey Anderson for a duck. He also got the wicket of Washington Sundar in his final over.

The elder Pandya gave away just 15 runs in his last three overs and also picked up three wickets to finish with figures of 3/28.

#2 Miss: AB De Villiers

De Villiers' innings lasted just two balls

De Villiers has been in some very good form in recent times. After a sensational series against Australia, de Villiers continued the good form in the first couple of games this year's IPL.

He struck 44 in the first game before hitting a match-winning 57 against Kings XI Punjab. But he struggled in the game against Rajasthan Royals as he scored 20 off 18 balls before getting out to a half-tracker.

Chasing 214 in this game, the South African was always going to be the key for RCB. With Kohli opening the batting, De Villiers came in at No. 3. He walked out to bat with RCB 40/1 in four overs. He got off the mark on his first delivery with a wristy whip to mid-on.

However, his second delivery, he pulled a short ball straight down to square-leg’s and left RCB at 42/2. It was the second consecutive game where the South African star was dismissed to a half-tracker.

#1 Hit: Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma looked in sublime touch

There is a lot of debate going around where Rohit Sharma needs to bat. After opening the innings in the first couple of games, he dropped himself to No. 4. But he couldn’t get past the 20-run mark in all three games.

In this game, the MI skipper roared back into form. He strode out to the middle in the third delivery of the game with the hosts 0/2.

He started slowly as he got to a run-a-ball 14. With Lewis going great guns, Rohit kept feeding him the strike but once the West Indian opener was dismissed, India’s limited-overs vice-captain took the responsibility.

He was batting on 40 off 30 deliveries and then in his 12 deliveries, the Mumbai captain scored 44 runs to take MI past 200.

He was dismissed for 94 in the final over, but his 52-ball innings in which he struck 10 fours and 5 sixes took the hosts to a huge score.

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