In another unbelievably thrilling game of this Indian Premier League, Royal Challengers Bangalore beat Mumbai Indians in a Super Over at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Monday, 28 September.
After being put in to bat, captain Virat Kohli could only manage another single-digit score but three batsmen notched half-centuries as RCB posted 201/3.
An outstanding partnership between Kieron Pollard (24-ball 60) and Ishan Kishan (58-ball 99) then helped MI close-in on the target, but the duo couldn’t help the team cross the line. After a dramatic 20th over, MI finished on 201/5, sending the match into the second Super Over of this IPL edition.
Mumbai posted 7/1 in their one over, a target Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers managed to achieve in six balls.
In both the team’s third game of the season, RCB registered their second win while Mumbai Indians slumped to their second loss. Here’s a look at the highlights from Monday’s tie.
1. RCB Make Three Changes
After Mumbai Indians won the toss and opted to chase, RCB captain Virat Kohli said the team was happy with the outcome of the toss as the team’s preference, going into this game, was to bat first. He also said that RCB was going with two leg-spinners and announced three changes in their eleven – Isuru Udana replaced Dale Steyn, Adam Zampa came in for Josh Philippe and Gurkeerat Singh came in for Umesh Yadav.
2. Three Half-Centuries for RCB
Openers Aaron Finch and Devdutt Padikkal along with star batsman AB de Villiers, all scored half-centuries for RCB on Monday.
Aussie captain Finch and Indian youngster Padikkal stitched together an 81-run opening stand before Trent Boult (2/34) gave Mumbai a breakthrough. He removed Finch for 52 (off 35 balls) with Kieron Pollard taking a simple catch at long-off.
The 20-year-old Padikkal added another 62 runs with AB de Villiers but the Boult-Pollard combo struck again and the opener walked back to the hut with a 40-ball 54.
De Villiers then picked up the pace of the innings, smashing four sixes and four boundaries, and finished on 55 not-out (off 24 balls).
3. Virat Kohli Fails Again
RCB captain Kohli had scored 14 in their campaign-opening win against Sunrisers Hyderabad. He followed it up with a 1 against Kings XI Punjab, and on Monday, the 31-year-old Indian skipper could score just 3 runs.
And on the 11th delivery he faced, Virat hit a delivery off Rahul Chahar straight to extra cover, and into his MI counterpart Rohit Sharma’s hands.
4. MI Reduced to 16/2
Chasing RCB’s 201, Mumbai Indians didn’t get the start that they were hoping for. Washington Sundar removed captain Rohit Sharma for an 8-ball 8. On his eighth delivery in the league, IPL debutant and Sri Lankan cricketer Isuru Udana removed Suryakumar Yadav for a duck.
MI were reduced to 16/2 in 2.2 overs.
5. Kishan-Pollard’s 119-Run Stand
With Hardik Pandya gone for 15, MI was reeling at 77/3 and still needed 124 runs from 52 balls.
What ensued then was massive fireworks at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Ishan Kishan – playing his first game of the season in place of an injured Saurabh Tiwary – stitched a 119-run stand with Kieron Pollard.
The duo got MI’s required run rate down to 19 needed from the last over. After a single each by both batsman, Kishan smashed two sixes and then got out on the fifth delivery of the over. MI needed 5 runs off the final ball, and Pollard smashed a boundary to level the scores and send the match into the second Super Over of IPL 2020.
6. RCB Win in Super Over
Even the Super Over eliminator didn’t lack any drama.
Ishan Kishan smashed a stunning 99 but was not sent out to bat. Instead Hardik Pandya and Pollard took the crease with RCB handing the ball to Navdeep Saini. After two singles and a dot, Pollard smashed a boundary but got out on the next delivery. Hardik Pandya failed to connect his bat on the final ball as MI finished with 7/1.
With Super Over specialist Jasprit Bumrah bowling, RCB batsmen Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers took a single each on the first two balls. De Villiers was given an out on the third ball but a DRS review showed that the bat had not touched the ball. He then smashed a four and took a single to put Virat back on strike, with RCB needing one run off the last ball to win.
Kohli smashed a boundary as RCB registered their second win of the season.
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