On a batting surface that was as soft as silk, Jasprit Bumrah performed a fast-bowling masterclass, taking 5 for 21, before Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav launched a batting assault to reduce the RCB’s total of 196 in only 15.3 overs. After losing the toss and facing the worst of the conditions on a damp Mumbai evening, Mumbai continued to climb up the standings following a slow start to the 2024 IPL, giving their Net Run Rate a significant boost. RCB, who had Faf du Plessis, Rajat Patidar, and Dinesh Karthik hit rapid half-centuries, were doomed to their fifth loss in six games.
Top of the Bumrah: 1-5-4-1
Bumrah reported to the announcers during the middle of the play that he had noticed deliveries from Mohammad Nabi’s opening over of the game holding up a little bit. He eventually turned to hitting the difficult lengths quickly. He took just three balls to dismiss the top run scorer in the IPL 2024. After a shaky start, Virat Kohli retreated to the opening ball and attempted a swipe across the line, which was unsuccessful. On his pad, he wore the second ball, an inducker. Kishan deftly snatched the inside edge, sending him on his way after another effort to swing across the line. In the third over, Kohli was returned to the hut for 3 (9) runs. Despite a strong start from du Plessis, RCB reached a mediocre PowerPlay score of 44/2 after his removal and the removal of IPL rookie Will Jacks, who replaced big-money trade acquisition Cam Green.
In the center, Bumrah: 1-3-4-0
When RCB had pulled off a remarkable recovery behind du Plessis and Patidar at the end of the tenth over, Hardik Pandya called upon his bowling fulcrum once again. After the PowerPlay and the MI captain, who had given away 13 in his lone over, trying to regain some sort of control, the duo ravaged 45 in the next four overs. Bumrah then entered and scored four runs in the process. The over featured a skilful short ball that sped past Patidar, but there was no wicket, so the yorker that followed had to be desperately dug out. With some degree of control back, MI dismissed Patidar following his comeback 26-ball fifty in the next over, and then returning player Shreyas Gopal made things much worse for RCB by dismissing Glenn Maxwell for a four-ball duck, continuing his awful season debut.
At death, the Bumrah was 2-5-13-4 (1 wd).
After making a comeback, RCB reached 149/4 with half-centurion du Plessis and Karthik batting in the middle, well-positioned to exploit the last four overs. But they had to get past Bumrah again before they could consider a final blow. Du Plessis was unable. The captain of the RCB misplayed a low full-toss to long-on, resulting in a 40-ball 61. Mahipal Lomror, the new batter, was greeted by Bumrah with a scorching yorker because he was unable to get DRS to help him. In the first innings, the unexpected slide forced RCB to utilize their impact substitute, but Saurav Chauhan was out of the game after Bumrah gave him a short ball that the hitter mishandled to mid-on. The next hitter to get a first-ball duck was Vijaykumar Vyshak, who chipped a straightforward catch to mid-off after Bumrah served him another short ball. With the wicket, Bumrah became one of only a few bowlers to have two IPL five-fers, along with James Faulkner, Jaydev Unadkat, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. His final score was an incredible 5 for 21.
RCB reaches 196 with the DK special.
Following two outstanding half-centuries from du Plessis and Patidar, Karthik’s performance was even more necessary to get the visitors to 196. Karthik was out to bat in the 13th over, which was unusually early, and after nine balls he had managed just six runs. In the sixteenth over, he dismissed Akash Madhwal, making excellent use of the ramp to third. That over saw four boundaries before Madhwal’s 20th over saw Karthik add another four and two sixes. It is only the eleventh time in the history of the IPL that an innings has had three half-centurons thanks to Karthik’s unbeaten 53 off 23. In addition to pushing the Royals nearly to 200 runs in his innings, he also revealed how the introduction of dew had eased the hitting conditions.
Kishan’s hyperbolic powerplay
RCB’s ability to defend the score depended on how well their bowlers performed during the powerplay. MI’s openers started cautiously, with Reece Topley and Mohammed Siraj finding swing in their first overs, respectively. That all changed in the third over when Maxwell, who was caught wide at first slip, gave Kishan a reprieve after he had edged Topley. In a 23-run fifth over, Kishan hit Mohammed Siraj for two sixes and a four as he continued to torment the hapless RCB attack. In an attempt to gain a match edge, Du Plessis resorted to Maxwell’s off-spinners; however, the all-rounder let up 17 runs as Kishan hit a half-century off of 23 balls. After six overs, the Mumbai Indians had raced to 72/0, meaning the chase was all but over.
RCB receives further punishment from Suryakumar.
If Kishan scored 69 off 34 balls quickly, then the next innings were a blitzkrieg. After a century opening stand, Suryakumar, in just his second game following an injury, walked out in the ninth over, sending the opposition on the defensive. Akash Deep was punished in the eleventh hour, giving up 24 runs. Suryakumar demonstrated every aspect that makes him one of the best in the format: the wristy flicks, the stride across the crease, the lap over short fine, and the slice over point for six. After that, Suryakumar dismissed Reece Topley for three fours and a six, reaching his quickest half-century in tournament history and second-fastest of the season in the process, all off of just 17 balls. The only bright spot for RCB that night was that their suffering didn’t continue for too long after that.
Brief scores: Mumbai Indians 199/3 in 15.3 overs (Ishan Kishan 69, Suryakumar Yadav 52, Rohit Sharma 38; Vijaykumar Vyshak 1-32) defeated Royal Challengers Bengaluru 196/8 in 20 overs (Faf du Plessis 61, Rajat Patidar 50, Dinesh Karthik 53*); Jasprit Bumrah 5-21) by seven wickets.
