IPL 2021: “I've played almost 100 T20s and this is my first ever five-wicket haul” – Harshal Patel

Not many expected Harshal Patel to become the star of the show in the IPL 2021 curtain-raiser, which involved a battle between heavyweights Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore.

The match did not lack the presence of superstar players. Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Rohit Sharma, Kieron Pollard, Glenn Maxwell, Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult are just some of the big names on display.

However, it was 30-year-old Harshal Patel who grabbed headlines with a spectacular bowling performance.

The RCB pacer ran through the Mumbai Indians batting unit and helped his side gain a commanding position by the end of the first innings. He picked up a five-wicket haul, his first in T20 cricket, and was the star of the first innings of the match between MI and RCB.

Harshal Patel also became the first bowler in IPL history to register a five-wicket-haul against 5-time champions Mumbai Indians.

While acknowledging the moment, Harshal Patel said:

“It feels great. This is my first ever five-wicket haul in T20s. I’ve played almost 100 matches and this is my first. The fact that it came against a side like Mumbai Indians is obviously special.”

Harshal Patel tonight:First over - 15 runs, 0 wickets.Last 3 overs - 12 runs, 5 wickets.- Unbelievable bowling at death by Harshal. The way he performed was tremendous, brilliant trade by RCB.

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) April 9, 2021

The fast bowler added that he returned to bowl his second spell under difficult circumstances. Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya were on strike and Mumbai Indians are known for taking the game away from the opposition in the last few overs of the match. Harshal Patel revealed he was happy with his execution under the circumstances.

“The ball started tailing a bit when I came in to bowl the 16th over and that was my clue to go death. I executed brilliantly. You can’t look at the opposition all the time. All you need to focus on is your planning and your execution and that’s what I did,” said Harshal Patel.

"It was very clear from the beginning that I was going to bowl overs in the death," said Harshal Patel

Harshal Patel revealed that it was decided well beforehand that he would bowl in the crucial death overs. RCB already a plan in place and it was up to the former DC man to deliver on that front.

“It was very clear from the beginning that I was going to bowl two overs in the death. But today, luckily, I bowled three and ended up picking four wickets [in the death overs],” said Harshal Patel during the IPL innings break.

Harshal Patel concluded by sharing his thoughts on the pitch in Chennai. According to the pacer, it was a decent batting surface but the dimensions of the ground allowed him to take the pace off the ball. He added that the bounce wasn’t as good as expected.