Mumbai: Krunal Pandya's outstanding performance as a left-arm spinner was pivotal in helping Royal Challengers Bengaluru secure a narrow victory over Mumbai Indians, winning by 12 runs in a thrilling finish.
Pandya claimed three wickets in the final over, captivating the audience at the renowned Wankhede Stadium on Monday, while viewers at home were equally engrossed.
RCB posted a formidable total of 221-5, bolstered by impressive innings from Virat Kohli (67) and Rajat Patidar (64).
This victory marked RCB's first win at Wankhede in a decade. Following this match, RCB sits in third place, having triumphed in three out of their four matches in the 18th season of the IPL.
In pursuit of a daunting target of 222 runs, the five-time champions faced an early setback, losing their openers Rohit Sharma (17 runs off 9 balls) and Ryan Rickleton (17 runs off 10 balls) quickly.
After these early dismissals, Mumbai Indians found themselves struggling at 38/2 in just 3.4 overs, with Will Jacks (22 runs in 18 balls) and Suryakumar Yadav (28 runs off 26 balls) at the crease.
The Hardik Pandya-led team reached the 50-run mark in the sixth over of their innings.
The two batters formed a partnership of 41 runs before Jacks was dismissed in the 10th over, with the team total at 79, thanks to Krunal Pandya's bowling.
At a score of 97, the Mumbai franchise lost its fourth wicket when Suryakumar was sent back to the pavilion in the 12th over by left-arm seamer Yash Dayal.
Following the dismissal of Suryakumar, team captain Hardik Pandya, who scored 42 runs off 15 balls, joined Tilak Varma, who made 56 runs from 29 balls, in the middle. The two players quickly took control of the game, aggressively targeting the bowlers.
The Mumbai team reached the 100-run milestone in the 13th over and surpassed 150 runs by the 15th over. Tilak was out in the 18th over when the team had accumulated 188 runs, and Hardik followed suit in the second-to-last over.
With these two key wickets lost, the MI team had little chance of recovering, ultimately falling short by 12 runs.
For the Rajat Patidar-led team, Krunal was the standout bowler, taking four wickets in his four-over spell while conceding 45 runs. Yash Dayal and Josh Hazelwood each claimed two wickets, with Dayal finishing with figures of 2/46 and Hazelwood at 2/37, both in four overs. Bhuvnesh Kumar also contributed with one wicket, ending with 1/48 in his four overs.
Earlier in the match, after MI won the toss and elected to field first, the game began with high energy. Phil Salt struck a powerful cover drive for four off a Trent Boult delivery, but Boult quickly retaliated by bowling him out on the very next ball, leaving RCB at 4/1 after just two deliveries.
Devdutt Padikkal joined Virat Kohli at the crease, and Padikkal greeted Boult with a four on his first ball. The pair took apart Boult in the third over, with Padikkal hitting a six over backward square leg, while Virat finished the over with two elegant fours, bringing the score to 33.
The fourth over featured the much-anticipated clash between Virat and Jasprit Bumrah, where Virat scored eight runs off four balls, including a stunning six over deep mid-wicket. In the following over bowled by Will Jacks, Virat added two more boundaries, helping RCB reach 50 runs in just five overs.
Deepak Chahar's final over during the powerplay turned into a high-scoring affair as Padikkal struck two sixes and a four, accumulating a total of 20 runs. By the end of the six overs, RCB stood at 73/1, with Virat (36*) and Padikkal (32*) both not out.
Although the scoring slowed momentarily, RCB fans had a reason to celebrate when Virat achieved his second fifty of the season in just 29 balls, featuring six fours and two sixes.
The partnership of 91 runs between Virat and Padikkal came to an end when Vignesh Puthur dismissed Padikkal, who was caught by Will Jacks at long-on for 37 runs off 22 balls, which included two fours and three sixes. At this point, MI was at 95/2 after nine overs.
After ten overs, RCB crossed the 100-run mark, with skipper Rajat Patidar (3*) joining Virat (53*).
The next two overs saw a dip in scoring, but Patidar managed to hit two boundaries off MI captain Hardik Pandya and then took on Mitchell Santner, hitting two sixes and a four alongside Virat.
The promising 48-run partnership between Rajat and Virat ended when Hardik claimed the crucial wicket of Virat for 67 runs off 42 balls, which included eight fours and two sixes, with Naman Dhir taking a fine catch at deep square. Hardik also dismissed Liam Livingstone for a two-ball duck, leaving RCB at 144/4 in 14.3 overs.
Rajat received support from the dynamic Jitesh Sharma at the other end. In the 16th over, Jitesh hit a four and a six, while Patidar added a four against Boult, who had an expensive outing, conceding 42 runs in just three overs.
The captain continued to shine, scoring his second fifty of the season in a mere 25 balls, with four boundaries and three sixes. He dominated Pandya, hitting two consecutive sixes followed by a four. The over concluded with a four from Jitesh, as the pair amassed 23 runs in the 17th over. They reached their 50-run partnership in just 17 balls.
With a powerful six from Jitesh, RCB achieved the 200-run milestone in 18.1 overs. The penultimate over bowled by Boult proved costly, featuring two wides and two enormous sixes hit by Jitesh. However, the over concluded on a high note with a spectacular catch by Ryan Rickelton, who dismissed Rajat for 64 runs off 32 balls, which included five fours and four sixes. Boult's bowling figures ended at 2/57 after four overs, leaving RCB at 213/5 after 19 overs.
In the final over, Bumrah allowed a six from Jitesh, and RCB finished their innings at 221/5, with Jitesh remaining not out on 40 from 19 balls, including two fours and four sixes, while Tim David was also unbeaten on 1.
Hardik (2/45) and Boult (2/57) were the leading bowlers for MI, with Puthur claiming one wicket. Bumrah made his return with a spell of 0/29 in four overs.
Brief Score: Royal Challengers Bengaluru 221/5 in 20 overs (Virat Kohli 67, Rajat Patidar 64, Hardik Pandya 2/45) vs Mumbai Indians 209/9 in 20 overs (Tilak Varma 56, Hardik Pandya 42, Krunal Pandya 4/45).
