IPL 2020, MI vs RCB: 3 players who flopped | 28 October

In a game that could have gone either way, with bragging rights and early qualification hopes at stake, the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) ultimately were unable to keep the Mumbai Indians (MI) away from the top of the IPL 2020 points table.

RCB finally buckled into making a change at the top, replacing a misfiring Aaron Finch with Josh Philippe. The move seemed to pay off, as the opening stand put on 71 in quick time. Devdutt Padikkal carried on for his team, but the batting around him was unable to play a supporting role. Nearly all other batsmen struggled to get going as RCB's middle order scored a combined 44 off 45 balls to ensure Padikkal's 74 would go in vain.

Though their 164/6 looked chaseable, MI had their fair share of hiccups. In a lineup that has largely been in form, both openers failed on a rare occasion. It was a similar story for MI - one player, Suryakumar Yadav in this case, played through the innings while the rest contributed in bits and pieces. Suryakumar's unbeaten 79 was the biggest threat, with RCB taking regular wickets otherwise.

It was a tough day for seamers and middle order batsmen, with the exception of an excellent Jasprit Bumrah. Here are the top three underperformers from the match.

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#3 Dale Steyn (RCB)

Dale Steyn was once again humbled, walking back with his third poor performance. [PC: iplt20.com]

The man they decided to replace Moeen Ali with in this game had picked up one wicket and conceded a truckload of runs, most memorably during KL Rahul's siege of RCB's bowling lineup. The hope was probably that Steyn's experience would ultimately come to the fore and he would shrug off his poor run of form.

It was not to be for RCB and Steyn, as the veteran South African pacer was again pummelled. His 4 wicketless overs went for a sum total of 43 runs, paving the way for MI to chase the total without much fuss. It remains to be seen whether he will get more chances in this IPL.

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#2 James Pattinson (MI)

James Pattinson was unable to pick up wickets or stem the run flow. [PC: iplt20.com]

One-third of a MI pace trio that has been very successful as a hunting party this season, Pattinson has relied on early breakthroughs, as well as on his ability to hit the hard lengths and extract false strokes from the batsmen. Out of the team for Nathan Coulter-Nile for a couple of matches, Pattinson came with a point to prove.

The former Australian pacer though had a tough outing. He wasn't quite able to complete his quota of overs, conceding a worrisome 35 from the three he did bowl. He faced the wrath of the openers and had a night to forget, apart from taking a catch to dismiss Chris Morris.

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#1 Virat Kohli (RCB)

The RCB skipper played a momentum-sapping innings in the middle. [PC: iplt20.com]

When Josh Philippe departed for RCB, the score read 71/1 with the team cruising at 9 runs an over. By the time RCB captain Kohli departed, the scoring rate had dropped to a little over 8, but most crucially, it was Padikkal who scored most of the runs during the interim period.

It isn't always this season that Kohli has found boundaries, but even in those difficult matches, he has been aggressive through his running between wickets to maintain a good strike rate. Not only did he fail to score boundaries, he was also stuck at the crease. In a high-octane match-up between him and Jasprit Bumrah, the MI bowler won to send Kohli back for just 9 off 14 and set MI up for a win.