Match summary


Mumbai Indians on Tuesday finally registered their first win of the season defeating Royal Challengers Bangalore by 46 runs at the Wankhade stadium, Mumbai. Chasing a mammoth target of 214, RCB could only manage 167 for 8 in their quota of 20 overs.


With a daunting task ahead, Bangalore required a special knock from the likes of AB and Virat but the former along with the rest of the team disappointed the skipper as the batting line-up collapsed like a pack of cards.


Though openers Virat and Quinton provided the team with a solid start but things went south quickly after the latter departed on the score of 19. Except Virat no other batsman looked in the mood to chase down the total. AB De Villiers (1), retained uncapped player Sarfaraz Khan (5) failed miserably in the steep run chase.


Only the skipper Virat Kohli (92* off 62 balls) who is now the highest scorer in IPL, stood his ground and helplessly watched wickets tumble one after another at the other end. Kohli hit four sixes in his lone hand of 92 but there was one six that made Sunil Gavaskar go gaga over the RCB Indian captain.


Kohli hit a front foot six of Mitchell McClenaghan that Gavaskar described as an 'incredible shot'. Kohli's effort though was not enough.






Mumbai Spinners Krunal Pandya (3-28) and Mayank Markande (1-25) bowled brilliant spells drying up the runs and picking up wickets at regular intervals.


But along the joy of win also came a bad news for Mumbai as wicket keeper Ishan Kishan had to walk back suffering a severe blow on the face off a throw from Hardik Pandya in the 13th over. Though the seriousness of the injury is still unknown but the sight looked quite ugly in the middle.







Rohit Sharma was awarded with Man of the Match award for his brilliant knock of 94.


MI batting summary 


The only thing that went RCB’s way in the first half against Mumbai Indians was the two wickets of Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan on the first two balls of the match off Umesh Yadav. Post that opener Evin Lewis and skipper Rohit Sharma demolished the Virat’s bowling army at Wankhade Stadium, Mumbai.


Fourth over from Washington Sundar that yielded 19 runs kick-started the proceedings for Mumbai after a horrific start. Post that, 108-run marathon partnership for the fourth wicket between Rohit and Lewis set the stage for a big total for the home team. Lewis 42-ball 65 that included six fours and five colossal sixes set the Wankhade on fire. Along with him, skipper Rohit Sharma’s knock of  94 off 52 balls served as the final nail in the coffin for the visitors. Coming back into form after a series of low scores, Rohit Sharma with ten boundaries and five astronomical sixes, clobbered the ball all around the park. Hardik Pandya (17 off 5 balls) provided with the finishing touches helping Mumbai score 213 for 6 after 20 overs.


Umesh Yadav (4-0-36-2) and Mohammad Siraj (4-0-34-0) were the only positives for Bangalore in the field. Apart from them all the other bowlers received severe pounding from the top order duo.


Playing XI and Team News


Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Evin Lewis, Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Mitchell Mcclenaghan, Mayank Markande, Mustafizur Rahman, Jasprit Bumrah


Rohit Sharma has gone in with one change. Mitchell Mcclenaghan replaces Akila Dananjaya.


Royal Challengers Bangalore: Quinton de Kock (wk), Corey Anderson, Virat Kohli (capt), AB de Villiers, Mandeep Singh, Chris Woakes, Sarfaraz Khan, Washington Sundar, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal.


Virat Kohli has gone in with three changes against Mumbai Indians. Sarfaraz Khan comes back into the squad replacing Pawan Negi. Kiwi batsman Corey Anderson comes in place of Brendon McCullum while Mohammed Siraj has replaced Kulwant Khejroliya


Toss


Rohit Sharma lost the toss for the fourth time in a row as Virat Kohli led Royal Challengers Bangalore opted to bowl first against hosts Mumbai INdians at the Wankhade Staduim, Mumbai. 


Preview


One struggling with their bowling like any other season, the other, desperately searching for lady luck. Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore – two of the mightiest teams in IPL – are at the crossroads very early in the tournament, with answerless questions looming large in front of both.


When they take on each other on Tuesday at the Wankhede Stadium, it will be a battle to reinstate their stake in the league.


Mumbai, though will be more desperate. Having ended up on the wrong side on all three of their encounters, the defending champions are as clueless as the experts of the game.


"Three games in a row, we have lost in the last over. If you guys have any idea to tell us how to get over the line, if it happens again, you guys obviously know a lot of cricket, so, give us an idea of what to do," Pollard asked scribes on the eve of their match against Royal Challengers Bangalore.


Both the games held here so far have gone down to the wire and on both occasions MI have had their chances to go across the line and fumbled on the doorstep against Chennai Super Kings in the season opener and then Delhi Daredevils.


In between they had also lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad in their first away game of the season, so that the three-time champions led by Rohit Sharma are placed at the bottom of the eight-team table.


MI had been in worse situations before recovering poise to become eventual champions.


RCB started off on the losing note away from home to Kolkata Knight Riders, brought their campaign on track immediately with a convincing victory over Kings XI Punjab at home and then lost a high-scoring game to Rajasthan Royals at home yesterday.


RCB's bowlers, especially Umesh Yadav who had broken the back of KXIP innings with a three-wicket burst in one over, went for plenty against the Royals who set up the highest total so far of the season, 217, by riding on Sanju Samson's blistering 45-ball 92 not out.


After the pace trio's profligacy RCB need to set right their bowling woes as MI possess a strong batting line up that threatened to score over 200 in their previous game before the Daredevils bowlers restricted them below that threshold.


Barring leggie Yuzvendra Chahal, who bowled brilliantly to grab 2 for 22, the other RCB bowlers had an off day against the Royals.


But on the positive side was the encouraging return to form of captain Virat Kohli who struck a quick-fire 57.


With a batting line-up boasting of Brendon McCullum, Kohli and A B de Villiers, no target will look insurmountable for the visitors, and three-time champions MI will be aware of this.


MI's batting, on the other hand, failed to rocket off in the first two games and when it clicked the bowlers lost the plot.


The move to promote local guy Suryakumar Yadav has been a success but their best batsman, skipper Rohit, is yet to make a big contribution with the bat.


The Pandya brothers, Hardik and Krunal along with giant West Indian Kieron Pollard too have not made big impacts in the first three games.


Rookie leg spinner Mayank Markhande has been their most successful bowler with good economy rate along with Mustafizur Rehman, but Jasprit Bumrah has also not lived up to his tag of the world's best white ball bowler.


MI have replaced injured Australian fast bowler Pat Cummins with New Zealander Adam Milne and will be looking up to a comprehensive combined show to avoid a fourth straight defeat of the season.


 Teams (from):


Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma(c), Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Mustafizur Rahman, Suryakumar Yadav, Krunal Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Rahul Chahar, Evin Lewis, Saurabh Tiwary, Ben Cutting, Pradeep Sangwan, Jean-Paul Duminy, Tajinder Singh, Sharad Lumba, Siddhesh Lad, Aditya Tare, Mayank Markande, Akila Dhananjaya, Anukul Roy, Mohsin Khan, MD Nidheesh, Mitchell McClenaghan, Adam Milne.


Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli(c), Quinton de Kock(w), Brendon McCullum, AB de Villiers, Sarfaraz Khan, Mandeep Singh, Chris Woakes, Washington Sundar, Kulwant Khejroliya, Umesh Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Colin de Grandhomme, Moeen Ali, Manan Vohra, Aniket Choudhary, Navdeep Saini, Murugan Ashwin, Pawan Negi, Mohammed Siraj, Corey Anderson, Parthiv Patel, Aniruddha Joshi, Pavan Deshpande, Tim Southee