Bangalore: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) pulled off an excellent bowling performance to defeat Mumbai Indians (MI) by 14 runs in an IPL-XI clash here Tuesday.
Chasing a manageable target of 168 runs, MI lost wickets at regular intervals and could only post 153/7. Except for Hardik Pandya (50, 42b, 5×4, 1×6) the other Mumbai batsmen were unable to stand up to the RCB bowlers.
Mumbai’s chase ran into trouble right from the start as they lost their entire top order in the first seven overs before the total had reached the 50-run mark. Kiwi pacer Tim Southee (2/25) struck the first blow when he bowled Ishan Kishan in the first over. Fellow pacer Umesh Yadav (2/29) struck in the fourth over when he sent back the other opener Suryakumar Yadav and skipper Rohit Sharma off successive deliveries.
Kieron Pollard (13) and Jean-Paul Duminy (23) seemed to have stemmed the rot for a brief period when they put together 26 runs in the span of four overs. Pacer Mohammed Siraj (2/28) separated the duo. The two Pandya brothers Hardik and Krunal however gave a tough fight to the RCB bowlers with a 56-run stand off 39 balls. But when Krunal miscued an attempted reverse scoop off Siraj to hand an easy catch to Mandeep Singh, it was as good as game over for Mumbai.
Earlier, a disciplined bowling effort by Mumbai restricted RCB to a moderate 167/7. Manan Vohra (45, 31b, 2×4, 4×6) was the highest scorer for them. Hardik (3/28) was the pick of the Mumbai bowlers.
Brief scores: RCB 167/7 (Manan Vohra; Hardik Pandya 3/28) bt MI 153/7 (Hardik Pandya 50; Tim Southee 2/25) by 14 runs.
