RCB vs MI Highlights, IPL 2019 Match at Bengaluru, Full cricket score: Mumbai Indians win last-ball thriller by 6 runs

Jasprit Bumrah: (On his approach) You don’t think so much. You go ball-by-ball. We are playing against the best in the world. You have to back yourself in the situation. (On his plan to Kohli) You don’t look too far behind. I was just trying to back my strengths. (vs ABD) Same against every batsmen. (On shoulder) Everything’s fine. Ive always taken care of my body.

Rohit Sharma, MI captain: I just got to know that it was a no-ball. These kind of mistakes are not acceptable in the tournament. Players cannot do anything about it. I hope umpires watch this and rectify mistakes. Anything over 180 is a good score. Knowing conditions in Bengaluru, it is not a big score. We kept to our strengths and in middle overs, we stuck to our plans. Malinga has been part of MI for a long time. You can always trust these guys. They bring experience into play. The good thing that was we did not panic. Hardik executed his plans well. We missed the trick with the bat, we should have crossed 200-run mark.

Jasprit Bumrah is the Man of the Match!

The no-ball is making some noise!

Thrilling win for MI. Superb bowling by Bumrah and Malinga in last 2 overs. Not easy to stymie ABD in full flow. But some luck too with the last delivery, a no ball, not being called!

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) March 28, 2019

Virat Kohli, RCB captain: (On the no ball) We are playing IPL. We are not playing club cricket. Umpires should keep their eyes open. It was no-ball by an inch. When they were 146/7, we should’ve done a better job with the ball. We batted pretty well, but few more strikes would’ve done the job. We’ve discussed it quite a bit, something we need to be smarter at. Im sure guys will take a lot of learning from this one. The way they bowled, we can take into the next game. We had a good partnership today, but I got out at the wrong time. We need other guys to stand up. AB was outstanding today. Jassi is a top-class bowler. Probably a mistake on my part. Shouldn’t have taken him on. Best bowler in the world at the moment. Mumbai is lucky to have him and Malinga at the other end.

Jasprit Bumrah needs no introduction. The best death-over bowler once again delivers for Mumbai Indians. AB de Villiers was going great guns, but a sharp penultimate over from Bumrah left Bangalore needing 17 off the last six balls. With Malinga going to bowl the final over, it was never going to easy for Bangalore. The home team would consider themselves unlucky as the last ball was a no ball but the umpire missed spotting it. Come to think of it Malinga was not supposed to play this match, but a late No objection Certificate from Sri Lanka Cricket ensured he was in India on time for the second game.
 
But take nothing away from de Villiers. A master of toying with field placements, making it difficult for bowlers to decide which ball to deliver.
 
A lot of credit for this win goes to Hardik Pandya who took Mumbai this far with his cameo in the end after a collapse.
 
Robin Singh, part of Mumbai’s support staff, had told that the team that hits most sixes will win the game. It was not the correct analysis at the end. Both teams hit nine sixes each.

This is the first time that AB de Villiers remained not out in an IPL run-chase and his team lost the match. His team won the match on all previous 15 occasions.

After 20 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 181/5 ( AB de Villiers 70 , Shivam Dubey 9)

Malinga gets hit for a six by Dube first ball, but the veteran Lankan pacer makes a terrific comeback in the remaining deliveries to keep de Villiers and Dube on the backfoot to guide Mumbai Indians home! However, the victory is marred by a controversy, as Malinga is discovered to have overstepped in the last delivery, something that the umpire failed to notice. Virat Kohli’s furious at the post-match interview, and rightly so. However, that won’t change the result, with RCB now losing their first two games.

Mumbai Indians win by six runs, and collect their first points of IPL 2019!

Ball 6: DOT! Dube drills this down the ground, and doesn’t go for what would’ve been a pointless single! RCB 181/5; MI win by 6 runs!

Ball 5: ONE! Superb from Malinga! Full delivery, and he can only run this down the ground for a single; RCB 181/5; need 7 off 1

Ball 4: ONE! Wide full toss, and Dube can only collect a single; RCB 180/5; need 8 off 2

Ball 3: One! Full delivery to ABD, who squeezes this towards deep midwicket; RCB 179/5; need 9 off 3

Ball 2: DROPPED! Bumrah fumbles while going for a tough catch at short third man, with Dube setting off for a single; RCB 178/5; need 10 off 4

Ball 1: SIX! Dube clears long on comfortably! Advantage RCB now! RCB 177/5; need 11 off 5

More importantly, de Villiers won’t be on strike at the start of the final over. Malinga to bowl the final over, which we will be presenting to you ball by ball.

WORD!

Bumrah is Gold #RCBvMI

— Gaurav Kalra (@gauravkalra75) March 28, 2019

After 19 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 171/5 ( AB de Villiers 68 , Shivam Dubey 1)

Bumrah bowls the penultimate over. De Grandhomme collects a single off the very first ball, bringing de Villiers on strike. Just a single off the second, with Bumrah firing a yorker, changing his line after seeing de Villiers shuffling to his right and crouching low. Wide off the third ball, a harsh call from the umpire. De Grandhomme’s dismissed off the fourth, bringing Shivam Dube to the crease. Bouncer to ABD off the fourth. Just a single off the fifth ball, cramping de Villiers for room between middle and leg. Dube collects a single off the last ball. Outstanding over from Bumrah.  RCB need 17 off 6 balls now.

Should we start signing petitions?

.@ABdeVilliers17 is a marvel. Travesty for the game if he doesn’t play the World Cup. There should be a campaign for him to change his mind. RT/Like if you feel the same

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) March 28, 2019

OUT! Slower short ball outside off, not well connected by de Grandhomme, with Krunal collecting the ball between his palms near deep extra cover. RCB 169/5

De Grandhomme c Krunal b Bumrah 2(7)

After 18 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 166/4 ( AB de Villiers 67 , Colin de Grandhomme 1)

De Villiers smacks the ball towards deep midwicket off the first ball for a boundary. Just a single to him off the second. CDG gets off the mark with a single off the third. ABD gets RCB closer to the finish line with back-to-back sixes off the next two deliveries. Dot to end the over. De Villiers single-handedly winning it for the hosts now. Lest he forget, he was dropped on zero. RCB need 22 off 12 balls.

SIX! Terrible, terrible delivery from Hardik, who fires a full toss at the star batsman. De Villiers comfortably flicks this over long leg. RCB 166/4

SIX! That’s some insane hitting by ABD, stretching his arms and going inside out off a full delivery outside off, clearing the extra cover fence! RCB 160/4

FOUR! De Villiers gets down on one knee, and slogs a full delivery outside off towards deep midwicket! RCB 152/4

FOUR! De Villiers gets down on one knee, and slogs a full delivery outside off towards deep midwicket! RCB 152/4

After 17 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 148/4 ( AB de Villiers 50 , Colin de Grandhomme 0)

Bumrah returns to the attack, and removes Hetmyer off the first ball. De Villiers brings up his half-century with a single off the second ball. Near run-out in the third delivery, with new batsman Colin de Grandhomme being sent back to the striker’s end. Excellent over for Bumrah, with just one coming off it along with the wicket. RCB need 40 off 18 balls.

Overseas players to score 4,000-plus IPL runs:

David Warner

Chris Gayle 

AB de Villiers

FIFTY for AB de Villiers off 31 balls! After a poor start against CSK, the South African finds his touch at the Chinnaswamy! RCB 148/4

OUT! Bumrah ends the partnership by removing Hetmyer, who miscues, and ends up offering Hardik a simple catch at mid off. RCB 147/4

Hetmyer c Hardik b Bumrah 5(6)

As the game enters its last phase with Bangalore needing 41 off 23 balls, it is all about how much can de Villiers do. This is such a big occasion for de Villiers. Having retired from international cricket, IPL is his biggest kick and to be able to deliver a victory for his team will get his adrenaline running. There have been many questions raised about his commitment after he decided to retire, but he followed his heart and did what is right for him.

Jasprit Bumrah brought back into the attack. Another four overs to go now.

Timeout taken at the end of the 16th over. It’s advantage RCB with de Villiers at the crease. Rohit will be busy hoping his bowlers trigger a batting collapse, much like their own earlier this evening.

First memories of Shimron Hetmeyer: Watching him lead Windies with such grace at the 2016 Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh. The way he handled the Asian spinners with his footwork even as a teenager had made an impression on all those who saw him in that tournament. He was streetsmart with the way he handled media, always answering questions, including one on mankading in a crucial league game against Zimbabwe, with composure. He was not overexcited but very matter of fact after beating India in the final. Watching his rise as a potent force at the senior level has been a delight.

After 16 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 147/3 ( AB de Villiers 49 , Shimron Hetmyer 5)

A dot and a brace off the first two deliveries to Hetmyer after Malinga’s brought back into the attack. Single to the Guyanese batsman off the third. De Villiers gets a boundary off the fourth, getting a thick inside edge onto his pad before the ball runs away towards the fine leg fence. ABD collects a six off each of the last two balls to bring the required rate down for the home side. RCB need 41 off 24 balls.

SIX! This is even bigger by ABD, who swivels around and smashes this into the stands beyond the midwicket fence! RCB 147/3

SIX! De Villiers goes inside out, clearing the wide long off fence in the process! RCB 141/3

FOUR! De Villiers gets a thick inside edge, with the ball deflecting off the batsman’s left pad and running away to the fine leg fence. RCB 134/3

Malinga brought back in the 16th over.

After 15 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 127/3 ( AB de Villiers 33 , Shimron Hetmyer 2)

Hardik Pandya’s brought into the attack in the 15th over, but is hammered for back-to-back fours off the second and third deliveries. Dot off the third. Hardik fires a yorker at ABD, with a leg bye coming off it. Single to Hetmyer off the last ball. 11 off the over. RCB need 61 off 30.

FOUR! Back-to- back fours for ABD, this one’s muscled towards deep midwicket! RCB 125/3

FOUR! Suryakumar dived forward at wide long on attempting a catch, but didn’t quite judge the trajectory correctly, allowing the ball to bounce out of his reach, and past the boundary. Powerfully pulled by ABD, which fetches him his first four. RCB 121/3

Hardik Pandya brought back into the attack.

The short delivery from Bumrah was there to be pulled, but it was too close for Kohli to play the shot. His wicket now puts the onus on de Villiers to guide the remaining batsmen to complete the chase. If Mumbai can tighten things with a few quiet overs, they could once again regain control.

After 14 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 116/3 ( AB de Villiers 25 , Shimron Hetmyer 0)

Kohli crosses the 5,000 run milestone in the league with a single off the second delivery, but is dismissed only two balls later as Bumrah dismisses his India skipper with a short ball, which is met with a thick top-edge, and results in an easy catch for Hardik Pandya. Dots off the last two balls. Superb comeback by Bumrah, who concedes just three along with collecting the crucial wicket of Kohli. RCB need 72 off 36 balls.

OUT! Bumrah finally dismisses his India skipper, who gets a thick top-edge, with Hardik Pandya taking an easy catch at midwicket. Crucial breakthrough for the Mumbai Indians! RCB 116/3

Kohli c Hardik b Bumrah 46(32)

5,000 IPL runs for Virat Kohli, the RCB skipper bringing up the milestone with a single in the 14th over. RCB 115/2

Virat Kohli becomes the second player to amass 5,000 IPL runs after Suresh Raina.

Jasprit Bumrah brought back into the attack.

After 13 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 113/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 45 , AB de Villiers 23)

Good over from Krunal, with just four singles coming off it as he finishes with figures of 0/28 from four overs. RCB need 75 off 42.

Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers showing all their experience in keeping this chase on track. While they have dispatched the bad balls to the fence, what has been impressive is their intent while running between the wickets. The pressure is huge on them because they would not want to leave the job to be completed by someone else. Kohli’s footwork has been particularly impressive without surprise. Mumbai bringing back Malinga for his second over  did not quite work well as de Villiers swept him for a six. There is of course Bumrah to come, but right now Bangalore are ahead.

Krunal Pandya to bowl out his last over now.

After 12 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 109/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 43 , AB de Villiers 21)

Kohli drives the ball through extra cover for a brace first ball. Gets only a single next ball, failing to go for the second after falling over at the non-striker’s end. Single to ABD off the third. Kohli flicks towards cow-corner off the fourth. A dot off a bouncer and a single off the next two balls. ABD spoils the over for Malinga by collecting a six off the last ball. 14 off the over. RCB need 79 off 48 balls.

SIX! Just when it looked like Malinga would walk away with another quality over, ABD spoils it by flicking a full delivery over long leg! RCB 109/2

Lasith Malinga brought back in the 12th over, with Rohit hoping to break the current partnership.

Most sixes in IPL:

298 – Chris Gayle
188 – AB de Villiers*
187 – MS Dhoni

After 11 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 95/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 37 , AB de Villiers 14)

Kohli smashes the ball over the umpire’s head to end for a boundary, ending a dry spell. De Villiers collects his first six three balls later with a mighty loft over long off. 13 off the over. RCB need 93 off 54 balls.

SIX! After struggling against Markande for a while, here comes the release shot for de Villiers, who slogs this over long off! RCB 93/2

FOUR! First boundary for RCB in 23 deliveries, this one smashed over the umpire’s head by Kohli! RCB 86/2

After 10 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 82/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 31 , AB de Villiers 7)

Single collected off each delivery of the over barring the fourth, in which de Villiers goes inside out towards wide long off for a double. RCB well-placed at the halfway mark, and the current pair could very well finish things for them. RCB need 106 off 60 balls.

Players to score 600-plus runs against MI in IPL:

Suresh Raina
Shikhar Dhawan
MS Dhoni
VIRAT KOHLI*

After 9 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 75/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 28 , AB de Villiers 3)

Good over from Markande, with just three singles coming off it. What’s more, there are appeals off against ABD off the last two deliveries, the first for a catch at slip and the second for an lbw. Rohit decides against taking the review on either occasion.

After 8 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 72/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 26 , AB de Villiers 2)

Quiet over from Krunal, with five singles collected between Kohli and ABD — two to the latter. Looks like we will have spin from both ends for a couple of overs now.

Krunal Pandya has dismissed AB de Villiers four times in IPL – the most he has dismissed any batsman in IPL.

Virat Kohli has been dismissed by spinners nine times since IPL 2018 – the most any batsman dismissed against a spinner during the period.

AB de Villiers’ last five IPL innings at Bangalore: 69, 68, 90*, 20, 57

After 7 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 67/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 23 , AB de Villiers 0)

A fielding lapse by Hardik at long off in the second delivery gives Patel his fourth four. Patel however, chops the ball onto his stumps two balls later to depart for 31. DROPPED! Yuvraj drops a chance at slip after an edge off de Villiers’ bat, giving the South African superstar a reprieve when he wasn’t even off the mark. How costly will that prove for MI?

OUT! Markande breaks the second-wicket stand, as Patel chops the ball onto the stumps after failing to read the googly. RCB 67/2

Patel b Markande 31(22)

FOUR! Patel drives this towards long off, where Hardik puts in a dive, yet the ball slips past him somehow. RCB 65/1

There is anyways very little that troubles Virat Kohli, but Mumbai have given him a lot of width to score easy fours. The last boundary off Hardik Pandya in the fifth over was a gem of a shot. He realised that Hardik was going to bowl within stumps and back of the length, so he stepped out to make the necessary adjustment and produce a great cover drive. At the end of the Power Play, Bangalore are truly in control of the chase but a wicket or two in the next few overs can change the entire complexion as we have seen so many times in the past.

After 6 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 60/1 ( Parthiv Patel (W) 26 , Virat Kohli (C) 21)

Krunal gets smacked for a four and a six off his first two deliveries. Singles collected off each of the next two deliveries. Dots off the last two balls. Timeout taken, and RCB are off to a superb start in their chase of the 188-run target.

SIX! Patel gets down on one knee, and slog-sweeps this over deep midwicket! RCB 58/1

FOUR! Patel drives this towards deep midwicket, where Pollard puts in a dive in vain. RCB 52/1

Krunal Pandya introduced in the last over of the powerplay.

After 5 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 48/1 ( Parthiv Patel (W) 15 , Virat Kohli (C) 20)

Hardik’s brought into the attack in the fifth over. Concedes just one off his first four deliveries, including three dots to Kohli, before getting smashed for successive fours off the last two balls. Nine off the over.

FOUR! Kohli shimmies down the track, and drives this through extra cover! RCB 48/1

FOUR! Slashed through point by Kohli off Hardik! RCB 44/1

Change from both ends, with Hardik Pandya replacig Mitchell McClenaghan.

After 4 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 39/1 ( Parthiv Patel (W) 14 , Virat Kohli (C) 12)

Bumrah’s introduced in the fourth over, but it’s Rohit Sharma and his accurate throw at the striker’s end that gets Mumbai the breakthrough, sending Moeen back to the dugout for 13, but more importantly, bringing Kohli at the crease. The RCB skipper collects a hat-trick of boundaries off Bumrah’s bowling to get going in no time!

FOUR! Three consecutive fours for Kohli off Bumrah! RCB 39/1

FOUR! Kohli gets a thick outside edge on this occasion that sends the ball flying towards the third man fence. RCB 35/1

FOUR! Virat takes just two balls to get off the mark! Pulls wide of the fielder at mid on. Cries of “Catch it!”, but it looked well out of Yuvraj’s reach. RCB 31/1

Virat Kohli’s last five IPL innings against MI: 32, 92*, 20, 62, 7

OUT! Rohit delivers the breakthrough for Mumbai with a direct hit at the striker’s end! RCB 27/1

Moeen run out (Rohit) 13(7)

Moeen Ali’s SR in T20 cricket:

As an opener: 148.6
Other positions combined: 119.6

First bowling change of the innings, with Bumrah coming in place of Malinga.

It was interesting move by Bangalore to get Moeen Ali to open the innings.  He can be explosive, but always takes time to get his eye in and the opening spot could just suit him in this set up. He coming out to bat must have surprised Mumbai.
 
All eyes were on Lasith Malinga, who was returning to Mumbai set up as a player after a season’s break and he was very good to watch in his first over. The pace obviously has reduced over the years, but the nous cannot go away so fast. The variations are there and the search for swing keeps him on top of things
 
Mitchell McClenaghan on the other hand erred in his length, allowing Bangalore a steady start in the first three overs.

After 3 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 27/0 ( Parthiv Patel (W) 14 , Moeen Ali 13)

McClenaghan continues from the other end. Single off each of the first two balls, before Parthiv muscles a length delivery towards the cow corner fence. Takes a single off the fourth ball. Moeen ends the over with a four and a six. Looks like McClenaghan concedes 24 off his first two overs, and will likely be taken off the attack now.

SIX! Full along the leg stump, and Moeen flicks this over the square leg fence for the first maximum of the innings! RCB 27/0

FOUR! Moeen gets a thick top-edge, with the ball subsequently flying over the keeper, and away to the boundary! RCB 21/0

FOUR! Muscled away towards the midwicket fence by Parthiv off McClenaghan! RCB 16/0

There has been only one target above 185 which was chased against MI in IPL – 195 by DD at Wankhede in 2018.

After 2 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 10/0 ( Parthiv Patel (W) 8 , Moeen Ali 2)

Malinga steams in from the other end. Moeen chips the ball towards mid off, where the ball falls just short of Yuvraj. Decent start for the veteran Sri Lankan pacer, with just three singles coming off the over.

Parthiv Patel’s last five IPL innings against MI:

26, 57*, 26, 19, 1

Lasith Malinga bowls from the other end, for the first time this IPL.

After 1 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 7/0 ( Parthiv Patel (W) 6 , Moeen Ali 1)

Both Parthiv and Moeen get off the mark with singles. Parthiv then clips one wide of mid on off the fourth delivery to collect the first boundary of the innings. Parthiv keeps the strike with a single off the last delivery. Seven off the first over.

FOUR! Clipped wide of the fielder at mid on by Parthiv! RCB 6/0

Parthiv Patel and Moeen Ali are opening the innings for RCB today, with McClenaghan bowling the first over of the innings. Let’s see how the chase unfolds!

Mumbai Indians today:

1-5 overs : 43/0
6-10 overs : 39/1
11-15 overs : 57/2
16-20 overs : 48/5

Rohit Sharma, Quinton de Kock, Suryakumar Yadav and Yuvraj Singh – Mumbai’s top four – were really good with the bat, making 132 runs in 89 balls. That’s a combined strike rate of 148.31, but it hardly mattered as Yuzvendra Chahal’s wrist spin pulled the batting down. He became the third bowler to pick up 50 wickets at one venue in IPL history. His jigar (courage) is what makes him a strong component in any side he plays in.
 

Considering how good the pitch has been to bat on, one thinks Mumbai gave them a definite target to achieve and tried to play backwards in the middle over. In the process they lost wickets in a heap. After a certain stage, especially after Suryakumar got out, Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya should have reassesed the situation and tried to take the innings deep before starting the onslaught. Instead bad calculation meant that barring Hardik, Mumbai were exhausted of all their batting resources by 16.3 overs. Hardik hit some lusty blows towards the end to eventually give Mumbai a good enough total, but this is not how Mumbai would have liked to reach there. He stood behind the popping crease, kept his body steady and waited till the last moment before unleashing those strokes.
 

Bangalore might be chasing 20 less than what they would have expected at the half-way stage. Now up to Bangalore’s batsmen outside of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers to take the responsibility of giving the team the first win of the season.

After 20 overs,Mumbai Indians 187/8 ( Hardik Pandya 32 , Jasprit Bumrah 0)

RCB need 188 to win

Exciting finish of the MI innings. A wicket off the first ball. Bumrah steals a single off the next ball, made it to the non-strikers’ end after a lot of struggle. Hardik hits another huge one and then Siraj bowls a superb yorker. On the next ball, a big six from Hardik again. He has taken his side to a good total if not a great one. 187 on the board. Let’s see if Kohli and Co can chase this down. We will be back soon with the chase.

SIX! Goodness, gracious, says Ian Bishop in the commentary box, yorker gone wrong from Siraj, Hardik deep into his crease and hammers it over the deep mid-wicket region for a big one. PHEW!

SIX! No, this should be the biggest of the night, HARDIK, picks the length ball, goes deep into the crease and hammers it over the long-on, almost hits it to the last stand in that region.

OUT! Markande is gone, he makes room and tries to tap the ball to off side, but the ball kept on coming in and he ended up edging it to Parthiv behind the stumps. Markande c Parthiv Patel b Siraj 6(5)

It certainly paid off for Chahal, who finished with potential match-winning figures of 4/38

Got to love Chahal's courage in throwing the ball up. He's got so many wickets with the one tossed up wide.

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) March 28, 2019

After 19 overs,Mumbai Indians 172/7 ( Hardik Pandya 19 , Mayank Markande 6)

Everything happened in the over. Hardik started off with a boundary and then hit a massive six. A front-foot no-ball from Saini and then Moeen and Parthiv collided while catching it off the same no-ball. Kohli asked for answers from the ropes, looking shocked at what was going on at the pitch. Saini got his yorkers right eventually. And gave just 2 off the last 3 balls.

SIX! BIGGEST SIX OF THE NIGHT POSSIBLY. 91 METRES. Hardik waits and waits for the ball and then pulls it away for a huge one in the leg side.

FOUR! Lovely shot, low full-toss, Hardik does not move, stands firm and with a straight bat, hits it over the umpire’s head for a boundary. Great start to the over.

After 18 overs,Mumbai Indians 157/7 ( Hardik Pandya 6 , Mayank Markande 5)

Siraj starts off with a wicket and then gives away 8 easy runs to Mumbai in this crunch situation. Kohli was upset. He wants to restrict them to as low aa total from here as possible.

FOUR! On the legs again, Hardik was ready for it, and flicks it to backward of square leg boundary to get four more runs.

FOUR! Bad ball, bowled on the legs of Markande, who shuffles across and squeezes it for a boundary to fine leg.

OUT! McClenaghan gone now. Siraj bowls an away swinger, McClenaghan tries to play across the line and ends up chopping it on to the stumps. Seventh MI wicket gone. McClenaghan b Siraj 1(4)

After 17 overs,Mumbai Indians 147/6 ( Hardik Pandya 1 , Mitchell McClenaghan 1)

Mumbai have gone complete off track in the past few overs. Losing wickets one after the other and the initial push they they had after the good start has gone now.

Saini’s catch at fine-leg to dismiss Krunal Pandya brings back memories of Trent Boult’s lightning catch at fine-leg in a different part of the same ground to dismiss Virat Kohli in last IPL.

OUT! What a catch by Saini near the third man ropes, Short ball from Siraj and directed at Krunal’s shoulder, he pulled, the ball seemed to have legs but then Saini jumped in air and caught it, when he came down his right foot was inches away from the ropes. Umpires went upstairs to check the same and third umpire adjudged it out. Krunal Pandya c Navdeep Saini b U Yadav 1(2)

Best bowling figures for RCB v MI in IPL:

4/9 – Samuel Badree, Bangalore, 2016/17
4/33 – David Wiese, Bangalore, 2014/15
4/38 – Yuzvendra Chahal, Bangalore, 2018/19*

After 16 overs,Mumbai Indians 145/5 ( Krunal Pandya 1 , )

Chahal has been brave in this spell. He was thrashed by Yuvraj two overs ago and he showed a big heart and kept on tossing up the ball. Eventually, got Yuvraj and Pollard both with this guile and loop.

OUT! Pollard gone. Chahal gives flight and bowls outside the off-stump, lured Pollard to go after him, he went, miscued and was caught in the deep on off-side. Pollard c Hetmyer b Chahal 5(6)

DROPPED! Chahal drops a caught and bowled chance, Krunal Pandya hit it hard and it flew to him at rocket speed, eventually he spilled it.

Bangalore have done well to pull things back at the second strategic time-out, and obviously majority of the credit goes to Chahal, who has a big heart. He was not hesitant to toss up the ball after being hit for three consecutive sixes by Yuvraj, and it resulted in his wicket. Then he bowled wide to Suryakumar and the shot selection was poor there. Earlier the wicket of Quinton de Kock had broken the opening partnership. It is no surprise that Chahal is Bangalore’s bowling leader and his form is directly proportional to how far the team travels in IPL.

Indian bowlers with 50-plus wickets at a venue in T20 cricket:

Amit Mishra, Kotla

Harbhajan Singh, Wankhede 

Yuzvendra Chahal, M.Chinnaswamy Stadium

Yuvzvendra Chahal became the first bowler to take 50 wickets at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore in T20 cricket when he took a wicket of Quinton de Kock.

OUT! Suryakumar falls, went after Chahal, came out the crease and wanted to go over the deep extra cover, could not connect properly and the ball went high up in the air, Moeen Ali took a good catch inside the circle on the off side. 
Suryakumar Yadav c Moeen Ali b Chahal 38(24)

After 15 overs,Mumbai Indians 139/3 ( Suryakumar Yadav 36 , Kieron Pollard 3)

Suryakumar on the move now. Using creativity in his shots. 13 scored in the last over. Pollard has to start his hitting as well from the word go. Just five overs to go now.

Did Kohli miss a trick here?

Kohli could have bowled another over of Saini or Siraj though. Yuvraj can still use his long levers if it is pitched in his half.

— cricBC (@cricBC) March 28, 2019

Kieron Pollard’s batting average against RCB in IPL:

Career – 39.00
At Bangalore – 50.00

FOUR! Surya tries to repeat the scoop but last-minute adjustment means he top-edges it and the ball flies over the keeper again for a boundary

FOUR! Creative from Surya as he gets on his knees to cheekily scoop it over the keeper for a boundary.

After 14 overs,Mumbai Indians 126/3 ( Suryakumar Yadav 26 , Kieron Pollard 1)

Chahal returns and boy, oh, boy, we thought we might get the repeat of Six 6s from Yuvraj Singh. He hit three of them off Chahal and was looking to go after the fourth on the trot. Gutsy Chahal pitched it up and Yuvi tried to clear long-off and miscued. MI have lost Yuvraj but they still enough power left in the ranks. Pollard has come in to bat.

Yuvraj Singh’s 12-ball 23 was a delight to watch just because of his timing and clean hitting. He has fallen against the run of play, but  28 runs in five balls by Suryakumar and him (four sixes and one four) against Moeen Ali and Chahal has put Mumbai in the driver’s seat by some margin. Unless Bangalore script a collapse they should be expecting to chase a total in excess of 190.

OUT! Yuvraj Singh is gone, he went for the fourth six in the over and miscued it, was not hit that well and a superb catch was taken at long-off by Siraj. Yuvraj walks back after hitting 23 off 12 balls. Yuvraj c Siraj b Chahal 23(12)

SIX! Short and wide from Chahal, Yuvraj had enough time to get on the back foot and then hit it over long-on with a lot of ease. This is third six on the trot. Are we going to see repeat of his Six 6s?

SIX! Fullish from Chahal and on the legs of Yuvraj, who uses huge backlift to clear long-on by a good distance.

SIX! YUVRAJ SINGH HITS A BIG ONE, slightly short from Chahal and Yuvraj swirls in the crease and pulls it away over the backward point for a huge six

The M. Chinnaswamy Stadium is one of the three venues where Yuvraj Singh has more than 400 T20 runs, most of which came when he was playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore. The pace off this surface suits him perfectly and he has a real chance to score big and get set for the marathon. Whatever said and done there will always be scrutiny on Yuvraj considering his inconsistency in the IPL over the years.

DID YOU KNOW?

Yuvraj Singh’s scoring rate of 9.72 against RCB in IPL which is the highest for him against an opposition in IPL.

After 13 overs,Mumbai Indians 106/2 ( Suryakumar Yadav 25 , Yuvraj Singh 5)

More spin from RCB. Moeen Ali, right-arm off break, brought into the attack. Here, Suryakumar has to be the one who plays till the last over and occupies the crease till the end. A six and then a boundary off the last ball to finish the over. Mumbai on the go again.

FOUR! Length ball from Moeen, and Surya uses his wrist to good effect, hits it on the leg side for  a boundary.

SIX! Big hit from Suryakumar Yadav, it was not in his arc but he still gives it a go and muscles the ball over the deep mid-wicket region for a maximum.

After 12 overs,Mumbai Indians 93/2 ( Suryakumar Yadav 14 , Yuvraj Singh 3)

Siraj returns to the attack. Took a good catch and Kohli immediately asks him to bowl. Does a good job. 3 runs came off the 12th over. MI still have not gone past the 100-run mark. On this track, they need at least something more than 180.

Support coming in for Yuvi at an away venue…

We can hear the crowd chanting YUVI-YUVI even at the Chinnaswamy as Yuvi Paa walks out to the middle.#RCBvMI

— North Stand Gang - Wankhede (@NorthStandGang) March 28, 2019

Here’s an interesting piece of information: 

Yuvraj Singh has been dismissed by Umesh Yadav four times in IPL – the most he got out to any bowler.

After 11 overs,Mumbai Indians 90/2 ( Suryakumar Yadav 13 , Yuvraj Singh 1)

Umesh Yadav returns to the attack and gets punished on the first ball, hit for a boundary. But sticks to back of the length deliveries to Rohit and manages to lure him to attempt a pull shot and fail. Not a bad over for RCB, they have got Rohit and are back into this. Yuvraj joins Yadav in the middle.

Bowlers dismissing Rohit Sharma most times in IPL:

6 – Sunil Narine, Vinay Kumar
5 – Dwayne Bravo, Amit Mishra
4 – Dhawal Kulkarni, Siddharth Trivedi, UMESH YADAV*

A good running catch sends Rohit back, but didn’t he look in ominous touch in a knock of 48. Rohit’s awareness in this knock was superb. He anticipated well and prepared to play the appropriate shots accordingly. More importantly, he read the conditions well and must have by now calculated the score they want to put up on the board. He will pass on the information to others in the dugout. This is the kind of form early in the tournament that makes Rohit vital to Mumbai’s prospects. Barring one inside edge that went to the third-man fence, there was hardly a false shot from him. That he has taken the call that he will open in all the matches also gives him clarity of thought.

Some interesting stats pertaining to the Rohit-de Kock opening pair. 

In the first 6 overs today, Rohit & Quinton played only 8.5% false shots - the least among all powerplay phases in the seven games in this IPL. The overall powerplay average in the first 6 games was 22.4% false shots. #IPL #RCBvMI

— The CricViz Analyst (@cricvizanalyst) March 28, 2019

OUT! Rohit gone, Umesh returns to the attack and he has provided the much-needed breakthrough for RCB. Back of the length from him and Rohit tries to pull, ended up with a leading edge that flew in the air and went to long-on where Siraj takes a running catch. Rohit c Siraj b U Yadav 48(33)

FOUR! Back of the length and Suryakumar pre-meditated it very well, stood his ground and pummelled it over the mid-wicket for a boundary.

After 10 overs,Mumbai Indians 82/1 ( Rohit Sharma (C) 48 , Suryakumar Yadav 7)

Rohit continues to play his shots. He is just 2 away from a fine half-century. After a sorry start in the tournament, he is back in groove and just at the right time. MI have again started to score more than 10 an over.

FOUR! On the middle-leg stump line from de Grandhomme, fuller and Rohit sweeps him to deep mid-wicket to get a boundary

After 9 overs,Mumbai Indians 72/1 ( Rohit Sharma (C) 40 , Suryakumar Yadav 5)

Chahal continues and he has been very good with his length. He erred in line on the penultimate ball and was punished with a boundary. Rohit Sharma is growing in his innings. He is looking to continue the attack after a little lull in the game. 12 came off the last over.

FOUR! Sweeped for a boundary by Rohit. Chahal gave a freebie to him on the leg stump line, fuller in length and Rohit sweeps it easily to get four more runs.

FOUR! Suryakumar tries to sweep, could not connect and the ball goes behind the stumps beneath his bat, keeper Patel too missed to collect it and the ball runs away for a boundary.

After 8 overs,Mumbai Indians 60/1 ( Rohit Sharma (C) 34 , Suryakumar Yadav 3)

Colin de Grandhomme into the attack. Good over for RCB. He gave 4 only. Just 8 runs leaked in the last 2 overs and RCB have been able to slow things down a little. One more wicket here, preferrably of Rohit, and it will push them ahead of the opponents.

Suryakumar Yadav would not like to think that way, but this is a crucial game for him. If he fails and Mumbai lose then his position could come under scanner. Of course, he was one of the bright spots for Mumbai last season when he primarily opened the innings and the team management has backed him by putting him in the first XI. But with so much at stake every failure entices the leadership group to make immediate changes in order to find the right combination before things heat up.

This was the third time that Chahal dismissed de Kock in T20 cricket.

Speed hardly bothered Rohit and de Kock, who used the pace to reach 52 for 0 in the power play. They picked the length early and with no swing on offer it was easy for them to plant their front foot and play through the line. But the moment Yuzvendra Chahal, the legspinner, came in, he got de Kock bowled with an 88kmph delivery.  De Kock would rue his selection of playing a reverse sweep against a delivery from over the stumps that was on the stumps.

After 7 overs,Mumbai Indians 56/1 ( Rohit Sharma (C) 32 , Suryakumar Yadav 1)

First sight of spin this evening in Bengaluru. Yuzvendra Chahal comes into the attack. Quinton de Kock tries reverse sweep on the first Chahal delivery despite Kohli standing at first slip. Chahal knew his intentions and fired the quicker one as de Kock attempted a reverse-sweep again, missed it completely but the ball did not miss the stumps. RCB get their first victim.

OUT! CLEAN BOWLED! de Kock tries to reverse-sweep Chahal and the leggie fires a faster one, fuller in length on the middle-leg stump line. de Kock missed it and the ball disturbed the timber. First wicket for RCB. de Kock b Chahal 23(20)

After 6 overs,Mumbai Indians 52/0 ( Quinton de Kock (W) 21 , Rohit Sharma (C) 31)

Saini into his third over. So Kohli looking to finish him in one go it seems. RCB have got a bad start and they have themselves to blame for it. Bowling wrong line and now dropping catches as well. Colin de Grandhomme has dropped the catch which came at rocket speed to him. Powerplay over and time-out has been called. RCB needs some drinks and words from Kohli. MI complete fifty at the end of 6 overs.

FOUR! On the last ball of the powerplay, Rohit goes over the cover fielder and fetched four runs for himself.

DROPPED! Poor cricket from RCB, de Kock hits it staight to mid-wicket where Colin de Grandhomme drops it.

After 5 overs,Mumbai Indians 43/0 ( Quinton de Kock (W) 16 , Rohit Sharma (C) 27)

Mohammed Siraj, right-arm fast medium, replaces Umesh Yadav. Quinton de Kock has hit the shot of the match so far and mind you, we have Rohit Sharma also at the other end. That six off Siraj on the third ball requires a rewatch. They took a risky single off the next ball. Not really needed as they both are set and playing their shots freely. 11 off this over.

FOUR! YOU CAN’T STOP THAT! Fullish in length and Rohit smashes it through the mid-off region for a boundary, even a certain AB de Villiers could not stop that.

SIX! Superb Shot, not a bad ball from Siraj but this is just pure class from de Kock, who comes down the track making room and with full flourish of the bat, clears the straight boundary by some distance.

After 4 overs,Mumbai Indians 32/0 ( Quinton de Kock (W) 9 , Rohit Sharma (C) 23)

Saini continues Worry for RCB has Rohit Sharma has played a confidence-booster stroke, the six shot to deep mid-wicket. This is a dangerous sign. Virat is clapping and cheering his players but one can sense the storm inside him. He knows Rohit more than anyone on this pitch.

Navdeep Saini returned to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium after bowling a fiery spell for Delhi against Mumbai in the final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, the inter-state 50-over competition. He was on fire that day, picking up three early wickets. But an overstepped delivery that Siddesh Lad hit straight to the hands of the cover fielder when he was yet to open account gave Mumbai a free hit and changed the game’s momentum. Saini seems to have added more pace to his bowling. In the first phase of play in tonight’s game, his third ball of the second over was a a peach. He pitched it at the right length and the ball came back in to trouble Rohit Sharma. Fortunately, for Mumbai the inside edge flew to the third-man fence. Saini, who has clocked 150kmph, is a real talent who needs to be nurtured by those in charge of Indian cricket.
 

Mumbai have started well and a part of it is because of the wrong lengths that Umesh Yadav has bowled. Conceding a total of five fours and a six in four overs because of wrong lengths is not acceptable in a game of small margins.
 

Bangalore desperately need a breakthrough.

Rohit Sharma’s batting average against RCB in IPL: (Before today)

Overall : 29.19
At Bangalore : 18.25

SIX! Saini drops it short and Rohit Sharma gets the ball he was waiting for, goes on back foot and Rohit has hit this 20 rows back in the deep mid-wicket region.

After 3 overs,Mumbai Indians 25/0 ( Quinton de Kock (W) 8 , Rohit Sharma (C) 17)

Despite the bad start, Kohli sticks to Umesh. This is a bad start from Umesh and RCB. 7 has come off this over. He is struggling with his line and length here. Either bowling on the batsman’s legs or keeping it short. Mumbai untroubled so far.

FOUR! Cracking sound off the bat as de Kock spots the short ball from Umesh, goes on back foot and smashes it through mid-wicket for a boundary.

After 2 overs,Mumbai Indians 18/0 ( Quinton de Kock (W) 2 , Rohit Sharma (C) 16)

Navdeep Saini, right-arm medium, brought into the attack from the other end. He too starts off by bowling on de Kock’s legs and was lucky that the batsman hit it straight to Chahal at mid-wicket. Saini bowled a beautiful inswinger which took the inside edge off Rohit’s bat and ran away for four. Rohit ended the over with a beautiful stroke to announce that he is still in some form here. 9 off this over.

FOUR! Fullish delivery from Saini and this gives Rohit Sharma the chance to get his foot forward, and play that majestic cover drive. Nobody moved.  Nobody.

FOUR! Good ball, on good length and comes in sharply to Rohit, he inside-edges it and the ball misses the keeper, goes for four behind the wickets

After 1 over, Mumbai Indians 9/0 ( Quinton de Kock (W) 1 , Rohit Sharma (C) 8)

Umesh Yadav begins for RCB, bowls inswing to de Kock first up. The left-handed batsman looking to use his feet from the beginning. Takes a quick single on the second ball. Rohit is off the mark with a couple of boundaries. Nine runs from the first over.

DID YOU KNOW?

Rohit Sharma is one of the four players to have scored 600-plus runs against RCB in IPL.

Quinton de Kock v RCB in IPL:

6, 69, 108, 60

FOUR! On the legs of Rohit again from Umesh and he nudges it to leg side in typical Rohit Sharma fashion to earn four more runs.

FOUR! Umesh Yadav looking to bowl inswing to Rohit, ended up bowling on his legs, Rohit flicked it for a boundary to fine-leg.

Alright, the contest begins!

Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock walk out to the middle so do the RCB players. Umesh Yadav, right arm fast, will bowl the first over for the home team.

Ishan Kishan’s absence from the MI team continues to baffle some.

One is unable to digest that Mumbai have not fitted in Ishan Kishan in the first XI. He was in good form in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the inter-state T20 competition. He has also got some good scores in other formats. Last season it was his madness with the bat against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens that kept Mumbai’s play-off hopes alive. Such players need to be backed. Of course Yuvraj Singh scoring a brisk half-century in the first game against Delhi Capitals has made it difficult for Mumbai to make any changes to their batting line-up.

Mumbai is a happy camp. Two of their premier fast bowlers playing tonight. 

Bumrah’s fit and Malinga’s arrived after much uncertainty. Young leggie Markande could be key bowler though. Overall gives Mumabai’s attack experience and variety

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) March 28, 2019

Good toss to win for Bangalore, and as expected they chose to bowl. Quite brave for Kohli to not making any changes to the playing XI. Backing players is so crucial in a league where there is little time to breath. Bangalore would be hopeful of getting Rohit Sharma early, who doesn’t have a good record at the venue, averaging 18.6. 

Big news of course is Mumbai will be fielding both Bumrah and Malinga. Also look out for Krunal Pandya who has dismissed AB de Villiers four out of four times in IPL.

Mumbai Indians XI: Rohit Sharma , Suryakumar Yadav, Kieron Pollard , Quiton de Kock, Yuvraj, Hardik Pandya , Krunal Pandya, Mitchell McClenaghan, Jasprit Bumrah, Mayank Markande, Lasith Malinga

The average first innings total at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in IPL 2018 was 187.

Royal Challengers Bangalore XI: Virat Kohli (c), Parthiv Patel(w), Moeen Ali, AB de Villiers , Shimron Hetmyer, Shivam Dube, Colin de Grandhomme , Navdeep Saini, Yuzvendra Chahal , Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj

TOSS NEWS: Virat Kohli wins toss and RCB will bowl first. No changes in RCB’s ranks.

We are minutes away from toss and from knowing if both Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga will be featuring in the Mumbai Indians line up. Their presence automatically tilts the equation in favour of Mumbai. Virat Kohli is happy with the pitch in Royal Challengers Bangalore’s first home game. Yuzvendra Chahal as usual is going to be the key for the home team like Kohli and AB de Villiers. It remains to see what changes they do to their team considering they had a batting outing in the inaugural game against Chennai Super Kings. Toss is going to be crucial as M. Chinnaswamy Stadium is a chasing ground.

Head to Head in IPL:

Matches played : 23
RCB won : 9
MI won : 14

While at Bangalore, MI have a 7-2 record against RCB in IPL.

“The highest average score is here. People expect games here to be high-scoring ones. Tonight’s pitch is very closely shaven with grass. The ball will slide on, if not, one or two might turn,” says cricketer-turned-commentator Ian Bishop in his report of the Chinnaswamy pitch ahead of the RCB-MI match.

Toss coming up in less than ten minutes… stay tuned!

RCB vs MI is the contest to look out for in every season of the tournament. However, there is one more contest to watch out for in this game. The one between Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah. Bumrah had injured his shoulder in the last match but was seen bowling in the nets yesterday. Hopefully, he will be fit and raring to go at his India captain.

Here are the two squads:

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli(c), Parthiv Patel(w), Moeen Ali, AB de Villiers, Shimron Hetmyer, Shivam Dube, Colin de Grandhomme, Navdeep Saini, Yuzvendra Chahal, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Devdutt Padikkal, Heinrich Klaasen, Himmat Singh, Pawan Negi, Washington Sundar, Milind Kumar, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Prayas Barman, Akshdeep Nath, Kulwant Khejroliya, Tim Southee

Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma(c), Quinton de Kock(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Yuvraj Singh, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Ben Cutting, Mitchell McClenaghan, Rasikh Salam, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishan Kishan, Anmolpreet Singh, Aditya Tare, Siddhesh Lad, Evin Lewis, Pankaj Jaiswal, Anukul Roy, Mayank Markande, Rahul Chahar, Lasith Malinga, Jason Behrendorff, Barinder Sran, Jayant Yadav

In the latest news on the Ashwin-Buttler ‘Mankading’ saga, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) have changed their stance on the issue after initially backing the Indian off-spinner, saying that Ashwin’s pause was a bit too long, and that it was against the ‘spirit of the game’. Read the full story here .

Meanwhile, some good news for the Mumbai Indians after the exit of New Zealand pacer Adam Milne, as West Indian pace talent Alzarri Joseph, who had been in destructive form against England in the recent home series, joins their ranks. Read the full report here .

In a similar vein, the former India opener says Mumbai Indians need to increase their spin options for the RCB clash…

As for #MI, I’d really like to see either Markanday or Rahul Chahar in the mix. Can’t play with only one spin option in Krunal. #RCBvMI #IPL #AakashVani

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) March 28, 2019

Aakash Chopra has some selection advice for Virat Kohli, Gary Kirsten and the rest of the RCB think tank…

Don’t think #RCB can afford to play both Moeen and DeGrandhomme in the XI. Get Southee in the mix instead. Especially for the home against #MI #RCBvMI #AakashVani

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) March 28, 2019

In case you missed out on all the cricketing action from Tuesday, in which Kolkata Knight Riders continued their winning ways with a solid victory over Kings XI Punjab at the Eden Gardens, here are the key moments from Match 6 of IPL 2019 .

Both RCB and MI got off to forgettable starts in the 12th edition of the Indian Premier League, having lost to CSK and DC respectively, and now hope not to extend their wait for their first points of the season when they lock horns at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Read the full preview of Match 7 of IPL 2019 here .