Wankhede crowd treated to a bouquet of wickets from MI’s star India pacer Jasprit before Dinesh Karthik smashes 23-ball 53* for RCB to score 196-8
Mumbai Indians pacerJasprit Bumrah (second from left) celebrates the dismissal of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Virat Kohli at the Wankhede Stadium yesterday. Pics/Atul Kamble
Dinesh Karthik bossed his way around to an unbeaten maiden IPL-17 half-century, adding to half-tons by skipper Faf du Plessis (40-ball 61) and Rajat Patidar (26-ball 50) as Royal Challengers Bengaluru posted an impressive 196-8 against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.
At the time of going to press, MI were 84-0 after seven overs.
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Interestingly, all the talk surrounding RCB in the build-up to this match was about how the batters needed to rally around man-in-form Virat Kohli to ensure the franchise (four losses out of five before this match) get back to winning ways. However, with Kohli (3) coming up with a rare failure, it was up to the other batters to deliver.
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RCB’s Dinesh Karthik during his half-century against MI yesterday
On match eve, Du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell and Patidar had a good hit in the nets, clearing the fence frequently. Two of those three continued that hitting spree on match day, while Maxwell (0) flopped once again, foxed by leggie Shreyas Gopal’s wrong ’un.
Kohli’s early exit
Kohli’s early exit, caught behind off MI pace ace Jasprit Bumrah, meant that RCB began cautiously and were at an unimpressive 44-2 at the end of the Powerplay. Hereafter though, Du Plessis and Patidar grabbed the game by the collar, getting after the MI bowlers and helping themselves to quickfire fifties in the bargain. Du Plessis hammered four fours and three sixes while Patidar hit three fours and four sixes before MI pace ace Jasprit Bumrah applied the brakes once again. Bumrah accounted for Du Plessis, Mahipal Lomror (0), Saurav Chauhan (9) and Vijaykumar Vyshak (0) to complete a brilliant fifer.
RCB’s Karthik however, remained unfazed at the other end even as he kept losing batting partners as frequently as trains leaving the nearby Churchgate Stadium. Karthik put on a stunning finishing act, hammering MI pacer Akash Madhwal to all corners of the Wankhede. Karthik began his onslaught in Madhwal’s third over (16th of the innings). He almost magically scooped a fiery Madhwal not once, twice, but four times in the third man region for boundaries. In between these four fours, it got so frustrating for MI skipper Hardik Pandya that he got together with Bumrah, Madhwal and Tim David for a quick meeting at mid-off to try and find a way out.
Consequently, they sent back short-third man fielder Gerald Coetzee to deep third, but Karthik still scooped his way to the fence.
Madhwal’s costly over
Then, in the final over of the innings—again against Madhwal—Karthik continued the carnage, hammering him for two sixes and a four, picking up 19 runs to finish on a stunning 53 not out off just 23 balls with the help of five fours and four sixes.
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