Mumbai Indians (MI) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) faced off in a crucial Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 11. MI captain Hardik Pandya opted to bowl after winning the toss, hoping to exploit the early moisture in the pitch.
MI made one change to their playing XI, bringing in Shreyas Gopal in place of Piyush Chawla. RCB, on the other hand, made three changes, replacing Cameron Green with Will Jacks, while Mahipal Lomror and Vijaykumar Vyshak also made the team.
RCB openers Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis got off to a solid start, putting on 49 runs for the first wicket. However, MI’s bowlers struck back with regular wickets, including the prized scalp of Kohli for 28. Glenn Maxwell and Dinesh Karthik then steadied the RCB innings with a 42-run partnership.
But MI’s bowlers continued to chip away at the RCB batting lineup, with Jasprit Bumrah and Gerald Coetzee picking up two wickets each. RCB eventually finished their innings on 151/6, with Maxwell top-scoring with 39.
In response, MI’s openers Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan got off to a flying start, putting on 50 runs in just 4.2 overs. However, RCB’s bowlers fought back, with Mohammed Siraj dismissing both openers in quick succession.
Tilak Varma and Tim David then steadied the MI innings with a 46-run partnership. But RCB’s bowlers continued to apply pressure, and MI lost wickets at regular intervals. In the end, MI fell short by 16 runs, finishing on 135/9.
Siraj was the pick of the RCB bowlers, finishing with figures of 3/25. Maxwell also chipped in with two wickets, while Akash Deep and Reece Topley took one wicket each.
With this victory, RCB moved up to fifth place in the IPL standings, while MI remained in eighth place. Both teams will be looking to improve their fortunes in their upcoming matches.
