RCB pip MI to end winless streak at Wankhede

Mumbai, April 7: Royal Challengers Bengaluru survived a massive scare from a doughty Mumbai Indians to end their six-match winless streak at the Wankhede Stadium with a 12-run victory in the Indian Premier League on Monday.
Set a daunting target of 222, Mumbai Indians staged a stunning late recovery to turn the tables on their opponents but the task proved too difficult in the end for the hosts, who have not lost a game here against RCB since 2015.
Mumbai Indians were reeling at 99 for four with their pursuit falling apart with the dismissal of Suryakumar Yadav (28), but skipper Hardik Pandya (42 off 15 balls) and Tilak Varma (56 off 29 balls) launched a stunning onslaught to bring them back into the contest.
Hardik went hammer and tongs while hitting three fours and four sixes, while Tilak also fought his way back into form, but the target proved far too much for Mumbai Indians who were again ordinary with the bat for a large part in their chase.
Rohit Sharma (17) was cleaned up by Yash Dayal (2/46) while swinging across an inswinging delivery and MI’s best batter Suryakumar struggled during his 28-run knock for which he consumed 26 balls.
On the other hand, Tilak brought up his maiden fifty of the season off 26 balls to make a comeback after being retired out in the last game.
The fortunes swung when Hardik clobbered two sixes and as many fours off his first four balls off Krunal Pandya in the 14th over.
Before Hardik cut loose, Tilak had raced to 30 off 15 balls to keep MI’s faint hopes alive, which kept improving with every hit that the batters unleashed.
The asking rate had zoomed past 15 an over but MI kept clearing the ropes to remain in the hunt. But Tilak fell in the 18th over from Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/48) and Hardik in the penultimate over from Josh Hazlewood (2/37).
In the final over, MI needed 19 runs to win but Krunal Pandya (4/45) took three wickets to shut the doors on them.
Earlier, RCB rode on scintillating fifties from Virat Kohli (67) and skipper Rajat Patidar (64) to post 221 for five.
Kohli ruled the roost with a 42-ball 67 which gave RCB early impetus in Jasprit Bumrah’s (0/29) comeback game. Later on, Patidar’s 32-ball 64 (5x4s, 4x6s) and Jitesh Sharma’s 19-ball 40 (2x4s, 4x6s) ensured the RCB ended on a blazing note. Kohli has had significant success with the bat at Wankhede Stadium and Monday was no different – if he began with a few unconvincing boundaries, his exquisite drive through covers off Boult in the third over showed he was up for a big knock.
He completed 13,000 runs to move into unchartered territory for any Indian in the format in a little over 400 matches. (PTI)