Suryakumar’s blitzkrieg Hand mi 6-wkt win over RCB

Mumbai: Mumbai Indians beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by six wickets in Match No. 54 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 at the Wankhede Stadium, here on Tuesday.

Chasing 200, MI rode on Suryakumar Yadav’s 35-ball 83, ably supported by young Nehal Wadhera’s unbeaten 34-ball 52, to chase down the target in 16.3 overs.

Earlier, Skipper Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell struck aggressive half-centuries and shared a 120-run partnership for the third wicket as Royal Challengers Bangalore posted 199/6.

Maxwell blazed his way to 68 off 33 deliveries, hitting eight boundaries and four maximums while Faf struck 65 off 41 balls, smacking five boundaries and three sixes as they rescued Royal Challengers Bangalore from the early setback of losing former skipper Virat Kohli for 1 in the first over. The big crowd had turned up to see Kohli play a trademark innings but were treated to an Afro-Aussie special from Maxwell and Du Plessis. RCB suffered a wobble in the death overs and thanks to a cameo from Dinesh Karthik (30 off 17, 4x4, 1x6) fell just short of the 200-run mark.

Jason Behrendorff was the best of the Mumbai bowlers, claiming 3-36 off his four overs. Chris Jordan, Cameron Green, and Kumar Kartikeya claimed a wicket apiece. RCB could manage only 47 runs in the last five overs, thus setting Mumbai Indians a chasable target. Mumbai skipper Rohit Sharma had won the toss and elected to field first and left-arm pacer Jason Behrendorff justified his decision by getting Virat Kohli to nick one behind to Ishan Kishan on the fifth ball of his first over. Kohli tried to give the Aussie pacer the charge to heave it into the stands but only managed a thick edge behind for 1-- DRS giving the former India captain out.

From 2/1, Royal Challengers Bangalore slumped into further trouble when Anuj Rawat, who slapped Behrendorff for a boundary over cover, attempted to scoop a wide one but top-edged it and Cameron Green pouched the skier, running behind from slips. RCB were down to 16/2 and looking in trouble.

However, skipper Faf du Plessis and the experienced Glenn Maxwell rescued Royal Challengers Bangalore with both hitting superb fifties in the process. Maxwell was the more aggressive of the two, completing his half-century in 25 balls, hitting three sixes and six boundaries in the process. He struck Behrendorff for two boundaries in the fifth over, belting one down the ground and playing the second to the fine-leg boundary.

In the next over, he first reverse-swept and then punched Piyush Chawla for back-to-back boundaries. Maxwell continued his tirade against the Mumbai Indians bowlers, smacking Chris Jordan, who made his Mumbai Indians debut coming in as a replacement for Jofra Archer, for two sixes in the seventh over, hoisting him square-leg and then pulling the English bowler over the boundary in front of square.

Brief Scores:

Royal Challengers Bangalore 199 for 6 in 20 overs (Glenn Maxwell 68, Faf du Plessis 65; Jason Behrendorff 3/36) lost to Mumbai Indians 200 for 4 in 16.3 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 83, Nehal Wadhera 52 not out; Vijaykumar Vyshak 2/37) by six wickets.