Salt, Patidar and Krunal put RCB back on wining track

In a nutshell

Both teams entered this game smarting from batting assaults at the hands of Rajasthan Royals. It was Royal Challengers Bengaluru who turned it around quickly, with a batting assault of their own to get back to winning ways. The combined belligerence of Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar and Tim David powered RCB to a commanding 240 for 4 at the Wankhede stadium. MI started positively in the chase but regular wickets meant they fell short of the target, despite Sherfane Rutherford's late blitz.

Match in phases

Brief scores: Royal Challengers Bengaluru 240/4 in 20 overs [Philip Salt 78 (36), Rajat Patidar 53 (20), Rajat Patidar 50 (38); Hardik Pandya 1-39) beat Mumbai Indians 222/5 in 20 overs [Sherfane Rutherford 71* (31), Hardik Pandya 40 (22); Suyash Sharma 2-47) by 18 runs.

Who won RCB the match?

Salt, Patidar and David. Salt provided the platform with his 36-ball 78, which included six sixes and as many fours. Patidar then took over after his dismissal, striking a 20-ball 53, with four fours and five sixes, to ensure the middle overs were profitable too. David then provided the finish with 34* off 16. Krunal Pandya played a key role as well, upping the pressure on Mumbai Indians in the middle overs during the chase. He bowled an over in the Powerplay and conceded only 7 off it. His remaining three overs costed only 19 runs and he also picked up the important wicket of Suryakumar Yadav.

Two overs of Bumrah inside the PP. Why?

Because of a prolific start by RCB, thanks to Salt's blitz. Trent Boult leaked runs while Mitchell Santner, introduced inside the Powerplay, also went for runs. Between them, they conceded 46 runs in three overs, with Salt hammering sixes at will, including a hat-trick of maximums off Santner. Bumrah's two overs yielded only 16 runs, and Hardik Pandya's one over went for 9, which limited the damage marginally, although RCB moved to 71 for 0 after six overs. Even after the field spread Salt continued to attack, getting a hat-trick of fours off Mayank Markande and a six; the first boundary helped him bring up a 25-ball fifty. Kohli, slowed down in between, before hitting two fours off Santner, taking RCB past 100 in the ninth over. At the halfway stage, RCB were 115 for 0.

Salt out, what next?

Kohli's contribution was 38 in a 120-run stand with Salt. Although Shardul Thakur ended the partnership by dismissing the England opener, it was a momentary respite for MI. Reason: Patidar. Three sixes in a Markande over, a maximum off Thakur as well, along with a few boundaries kept the momentum going for RCB as they crossed 150 in the 13th over. A 37-ball fifty for Kohli came next but he fell to Hardik soon after, with the MI skipper's four-run over beginning a quiet spell.

What about the finish?

Patidar got to a 17-ball fifty - his fastest, and the joint second-fastest for RCB - with a boundary off Santner before the spinner hit back with the wicket of the RCB captain. It was a good comeback from Santner, who had gone for 22 runs off his first four balls, while his next 20 balls yielded only 21 runs, plus a wicket. The 200 came up in the 17th over - a seven-run over from Bumrah - with only 18 runs coming in overs 15-17. Tim David hit a four and a six off a free-hit in the 18th over, bowled by Hardik - with 16 coming off it. Bumrah was also hit for a four and a six by David in the 19th over and went wicketless again, and the Australian ended the innings with a six off Boult.

Were MI able to match the kind of start RCB had?

They came close in the Powerplay - 62 for 0. With Josh Hazlewood not part of the RCB setup for this game, Jacob Duffy returned to the side but had an expensive start, going for 28 off his first two overs. Ryan Rickelton was doing the bulk of the hitting, striking three sixes and three fours, while Rohit Sharma too struck a couple of boundaries and a maximum. However, just before the Powerplay ended, Rohit was struggling with his hamstring and retired hurt. Suyash Sharma then struck twice in the eighth over, accounting for the wickets of Rickelton and Tilak Varma. After 10 overs MI were 99/2, with Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik in the midst of a positive stand.

Were MI able to sustain the momentum?

Not quite. Suryakumar fell to Krunal Pandya and the required rate went past 17 after the 14th over - despite Hardik getting a boundary (after being dropped by Krunal), and Sherfane Rutherford hitting a six, both off Suyash who finished with 2 for 47. The pressure resulted in the wicket of Hardik, who was caught at deep backward point off Duffy, while Naman Dhir got out a short while later. Romario Shepherd was denied the wicket of Rutherford first ball as he had overstepped. A quiet over from Bhuvneshwar Kumar left MI needing 75 off the last three overs, which became 54 off 12 with Rutherford hitting three sixes in a 21-run over from Duffy. But Bhuvneshwar's 9-run 19th over left MI needing 45 off the last over. Rutherford struck four sixes off Shepherd in the final over and finished with a 31-ball 71 not out, but it only reduced the margin of defeat.

Glove change - denied

Whether in Chennai or Mumbai, a request for a change of gloves while playing in hot and humid conditions doesn't come as a surprise. But asking for it mid-over meant the request was denied - as Tristan Stubbs found out in the game against CSK, and as Hardik did today. He asked for the change twice in the 12th over and the substitute also walked in with a fresh pair, only for the umpires to turn him back. Unlike Stubbs though, Pandya did not get out next ball.

Wide or not a wide

During their batting innings, RCB ran out of their reviews before the 15th over was done. Both were for wide calls - width and height - and both times, Kohli was proved wrong. Late in the second innings, in the 18th over, RCB finally got one right, getting a wide call reversed, although they lost the review soon enough for another wide call. MI were not to be left behind, reviewing a wide not given for height, again to be proved wrong, and also lost another review for a waist height full toss.

Injuries aplenty

Apart from Rohit's premature departure to the dug-out, there were other concerns too in the sapping conditions at Wankhede. Hardik needed attention from the physio when he was bowling. Kohli didn't take the field in the second innings because of an ankle issue. RCB's Impact Player, Rasikh Salam, playing his first game of the season, had a problem with his left leg and needed help twice into his third over. In between, he bagged the wicket of Dhir but eventually left the field after five deliveries into the 16th over. Rasikh came back on the field and RCB wanted him to bowl the 20th over. But he couldn't considering the time off the field.

What next for the two teams?

After two away games, RCB travel home for their third match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, against Lucknow Super Giants on April 15. MI remain at home to take on Punjab Kings on April 16.