Rawat, Kohli shine as Bangalore sail to 7-wkt win; Surya's knock in vain
For a team brimming with talent, most of Mumbai Indians' batting line-up has been turning up with a cold bat. Against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Saturday night it was no different. Amidst the ruins, Suryakumar Yadav stood tall with a 37-ball unconquered 68 (5x4, 6x6) which helped the former champions to 151/6 in 20 overs at the MCA stadium in Pune.
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But matches are hardly won on individual brilliance as Faf du Plessis' men handed the struggling five-time champions a seven-wicket defeat. The loss, their fourth consecutive this IPL season, leaves Mumbai in danger of making an early exit.
While MI batsmen struggled, RCB had no such trouble as they closed out the match at 152/3 with nine balls to spare.
Leading the RCB charge was 22-year-old Anuj Rawat, who scored a stroked-filled 47-ball 66 (2x4; 6x6), while Virat Kohli joined the party with a 36-ball 48 (5x4).
Into his second IPL season, Rawat showed no nerves against the MI bowling attack, which seemed pedestrian. The opener showed his attacking instinct early when he danced down to track to send a maximum in the second over bowled by Jaydev Unadkat.
1/8:Bangalore beat Mumbai
<p>Suryakumar Yadav hit an unbeaten 68 but his Mumbai Indians team fell to their fourth successive loss of this season's IPL as they went down to Royal Challengers Bangalore on Saturday. (BCCI/IPL Photo)</p>
2/8:Surya shines
<p>Suryakumar lifted Mumbai from 79/6 to 151/6 but the total barely tested Bangalore who achieved their target with nine balls and seven wickets to spare in Pune. (BCCI/IPL Photo)</p>
3/8:Match-winning stand
<p>Anuj Rawat hit 66 and put on 80 runs with Virat Kohli (48) to guide the team to their third win in four games. (BCCI/IPL Photo)</p>
4/8:Mumbai's strong start
<p>Mumbai started strongly with an opening stand of 50 between Rohit and Ishan Kishan -- both scored 26 -- before Harshal Patel and Wanindu Hasaranga rattled the batting. (BCCI/IPL Photo)</p>
5/8:23-run over by Siraj
<p>But Suryakumar, who hit five fours and six sixes in his 37-ball knock, kept up the fight till the finish as he raised his 50 in a 23-run 19th over from Mohammed Siraj. (BCCI/IPL Photo)</p>
6/8:Pollard's duck
<p>Harshal ended with figures of 2/23 and Hasaranga also took two wickets including the big-hitting Kieron Pollard, for nought, with his leg spin. (BCCI/IPL/PTI Photo)</p>
7/8:Anuj Rawat
<p>In reply, Bangalore lost Du Plessis for 16 but Rawat took the attack to the opposition as he hit sixes in his 47-ball blitz before being run out. (BCCI/IPL Photo)</p>
8/8:Virat Kohli
<p>Kohli fell two short of his fifty after being trapped lbw off Dewald Brevis but looked unhappy with his dismissal after his umpire review was turned down. (BCCI/IPL Photo)</p>He displayed an array of shots, before his run was cut short by a brilliant piece of fielding by Ramandeep Singh, who effected a direct hit.
Earlier, coming into bat with his team placed at 60/2, Suryakumar's focus hardly wavered as he took upon himself to resurrect his team's innings. With Unadkat (13 n. o), he was involved in a 72-run partnership. For a man known as SKY, space was the limit. When a player in form is at the crease, you can ill-afford to put a foot wrong, and Mohammed Siraj was handed a lesson in the 19th over in which the pacer leaked 23 runs.
Harshal Patel (2/23) exercised great control in bowling the slower deliveries and conceded just one run off five balls in the final over. But Suryakumar decided to finish with a six.
For Mumbai, the start was quiet with skipper Rohit Sharma (26) and Ishan Kishan (26) in the middle. But the duo accelerated and at 49 for no loss at the end of Powerplay, they seemed to have brought about a sense of stability. But that turned out to be all bluff and bluster as the RCB bowlers turned up the heat and the MI batsmen made a beeline to the dugout. The former champions lost six wickets for the addition of 29 runs.
Much like the previous matches, Rohit looked settled and it took just one off-cutter from Harshal to unnerve the opener. An unsure Rohit, offered a regulation return catch to Harshal, who lapped it up with glee.
What hurt MI's batting was a mix of lack of experience and application.
It took just one off-cutter from Harshal to unnerve Rohit who offered a regulation return catch to the bowler. Teenager Dewald Bervis' was like a deer caught in the headlight, rooted to his stumps with RCB spinner Wanindu Hasaranga (2/28) sending in a straight delivery which ensured the batsman was plumb in front.
Akashdeep bowled a maiden 10th over and ac- counted for Ishan, who holed out to Siraj at third man. Three balls later, Tilak Varma was sent back courtesy a direct hit by Glenn Maxwell, who was playing his first match of the season. In the next over, Kieron Pollard was done in by a googly from Hasaranga to compound MI's woes.
