Royal Challengers Bangalore started their 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign with a stunningly overpowering display, riding roughshod over Mumbai Indians at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Chasing a target of 172 runs, they secured an eight-wicket triumph by attaining the target in only 16.2 overs.
After a cautious first couple of overs which produced 14 runs, Bangalore’s opening pair of skipper Faf du Plessis, and former skipper, Virat Kohli, made their intentions clear in the third over, by going hammer and tongs against Mumbai’s impact substitute, Jason Behrendorff.
IPL 2023: RCB's opening pair of du Plessis and Kohli went hammer and tongs from the third over itself.
(Photo: BCCI)
The Australian’s second over yielded 16 runs, including two maximums from du Plessis’ willow, whilst English speedster Jofra Archer found himself at the receiving end of Virat Kohli’s elegant strokeplay.
He conceded 18 runs in his first two overs, courtesy of which Bangalore managed to breach the 50-run mark inside the powerplay. Though the fielding restrictions were then lifted and players were deployed on the ropes, both Kohli and du Plessis decided against slowing down and continued with their usual pace instead.
Piyush Chawla was the only Mumbai bowler to have evaded the firing line, with both Cameron Green and Hrithik Shokeen conceding 17 runs in their respective first overs. Both batters recorded half-centuries with impeccable ease, du Plessis first followed by Kohli, while the latter also brought up his 50th 50-plus score in the competition.
Mumbai did a couple of moments to cheer – when Arshad Khan and Cameron Green dismissed du Plessis and Dinesh Karthik respectively – but barring that, it was all about Bangalore’s stamp of authority with the bat.
Glenn Maxwell played a cameo of unbeaten 12 from three deliveries, which included a couple of sixes against his countryman, Green, while Kohli remained unbeaten on 82 runs from 49 deliveries.
IPL 2023: While Kohli remained unbeaten on 82, Glenn Maxwell played a cameo of 3-ball 12.
(Photo: BCCI)
Tilak Varma's Solo Act Got Mumbai To a Competitive Total
Earlier in the match, Mumbai Indians managed to accumulate a competitive total of 171/7 despite losing early wickets. Amid a plethora of showstoppers, young Tilak Varma emerged as the knight in shining armour for MI, scoring an unbeaten 46-ball 84.
The five-time champions’ star-studded top three, featuring skipper Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan and the newest expensive addition, Green, could only contribute a combined 16 runs to the team’s cause.
IPL 2023: Mohammed Siraj set the tone for RCB with the ball by dismissing Ishan Kishan.
(Photo: BCCI)
Kishan was the first to depart, falling prey to Mohammed Siraj in the second over, before English pacer Reece Topley castled Green with a precisely executed yorker an over later. Completing the circle was Sharma, who had his catch dropped earlier but could not capitalise on it, edging an Akash Deep delivery straight into the gloves of Dinesh Karthik in the last over of the powerplay.
Playing in a different shade of blue – not the one of the Indian team, but of the Mumbai Indians – Suryakumar Yadav did manage to break his streak of golden ducks, albeit his contribution was far from being significant. The batter could score only a 16-ball 15, before losing his wicket to debutant Michael Bracewell.
IPL 2023: With a resilient half-century, Tilak Varma was MI's knight in the shining armour.
(Photo: BCCI)
With the experienced players not living up to the expectations, and the standard fans usually associate Mumbai with, the onus of resuscitating their innings fell on the shoulders of two promising talents in their early twenties – Hyderabad’s Tilak Varma and Punjab’s Nehal Wadhera.
Whilst the former was excellent, the latter also did a decent job, considering it was his first experience of the big stage, and the precarious situation he found himself in. Wadhera scored a 13-ball 21, including a couple of maximums, before losing his wicket to Karn Sharma in the 14th over.
Like Green, another expensive Australian signing, Tim David had a day off at the office, as he could score only four runs before Karn struck his timber. Hrithik Shokeen could not play an influential part either, but whilst almost all of Mumbai’s batters were struggling, Varma seemed to be batting on a drastically different track.
With a six over deep square leg off Akash Deep’s bowling, the 20-year-old brought up his third half-century in IPL, but his contribution was far from its conclusion. Courtesy of his unrelenting efforts, Mumbai scored 60 runs in the last four overs – 22 of which came in the last over bowled by Harshal Patel.
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