IPL 2021: Match 39, RCB vs MI – Who Said What

Royal Challengers Bangalore mustered a performance as clinical as needed to heal the wounds of seven defeats on the trot at a venue. That’s right. RCB lost each one of their seven encounters in the United Arab Emirates – a streak running since 2020 – before crushing five-time champions Mumbai Indians with a force so callous that could leave any team numb on any day of the year.

Batting first, RCB notched up an in-between total of 165/6 that would eventually prove 54 too many for their rivals. At the halfway mark, however, Virat Kohli must have believed that his team fell at least 20 short of where they could/should have reached. Kohli was responsible for setting the tone of RCB’s innings with a 42-ball 51, his second consecutive half-century and an innings embellished with personal landmark too, as he breached the 10K mark in T20s.

The RCB skipper was helped in no small cause by Srikar Bharat, who raced to 32 off 24 after Jasprit Bumrah sent an in-form Devdutt Padikkal for a four-ball duck. However, the true destruction was caused by Glenn Maxwell’s 37-ball 56, including six fours, three sixes and some ridiculously disdainful switch-hits and reverse sweeps.

With the kind of mood Maxwell was in, RCB dugout must have smelled a total beyond 180, if not more, however, Bumrah’s double strike in the penultimate over, when he claimed both Maxwell and AB de Villers off consecutive balls meant that those plans did not materialize.

In response, Mumbai Indians had a start that was more than promising, with openers Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock adding 57 in just 6.4 overs. As fate would have it, the two would remain the only batters from the side to reach double figures. Maxwell, having already done wonders with the bat, had enough hunger to bag two wickets with the ball, which included the wicket of Rohit (43 off 28) after de Kock was sent back for 24 by Yuzvendra Chahal, who returned with sensational figures of 3/11.

From there, Mumbai did only things they would not want to remember, as they collapsed from 79/1 to 111 all-out, thanks to Harshal Patel’s hat-trick, with Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya and Rahul Chahar being the victims. Before Patel got into action, the chances of a Mumbai victory were already severely dented, with Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav being undone cheaply.

The heavy beating has plummeted MI’s net run rate, who have a threat of non-qualification looming large over their head, much unlike RCB, who have solidified their No. 3 spot.

Losing skipper Rohit Sharma:

Thought it was a fantastic bowling effort from us. At one stage they looked like scoring 180-plus. Batters let us down. That’s been something that’s been happening consistently (losing their way with the bat). Have had a good chat with the batters. Those who are in need to carry on. They kept the pressure on us once a couple of wickets fell. Need to bounce back from whatever situation we’re in. We’ve done that in the past. Just not happening this season. He’s a talented player (Ishan Kishan). He’s had a terrific IPL last year. We want to back his natural game which is why he came up the order above Surya. Don’t want to put too much pressure on the guy. Relatively young, making his way in international cricket.

Hat-trick man Harshal Patel:

 I was thinking if the batters can’t pick my slower balls then the bowlers also will find it difficult to spot (referring to Chahar’s wicket that got him the hat-trick). I just bet on that. This is my sixth time being on a hat-trick and finally got one, so pretty happy. He (Pollard) is somebody who can do damage if you bowl in his areas, we wanted to take him wide and then once you drag him wide you have the option to bluff him, that came off really well. The way Siraj started, he’s someone who sets the tempo for us and the way Maxi and Chahal bowled in the middle overs were absolutely brilliant. They were under pressure at the death and we executed really well.

Winning skipper Virat Kohli:

Very happy and especially the way we won. It was a difficult start with the loss of Devdutt [Padikkal] in the second over. The way Jasprit [Bumrah] bowled that over, totally set the game up for MI. It was important from thereon for us to stamp our presence in the game and take a little bit of risk. I got off to a good start and KS took the pressure off me, Maxi’s[Maxwell] innings was unbelievable as well. I thought we got par, 166 is par here, still felt like 10-15 more with the way we bowled. 8 for 30 was unbelievable against such a strong batting lineup. You have to get into the bowler’s space every now and then, especially when you are up against world-class performers like Bumrah, you have to be at our level best. Tonight I don’t think there’s no complaints whatsoever, I will give it a 10 especially on the field. Maybe in batting I will give it 8, we should’ve got 20-25 more – really put the opposition under pressure and not allow them to come back after a breakthrough. They definitely would’ve gone after Chahal [talking about Hardik and Pollard]. I went with DC [Christian] – he bowled an amazing over, completely shut the game down and what Harshal did from the other end was unbelievable.

Player of the Match Glenn Maxwell:

It was a nice day. We did pretty much did everything right tonight. Virat and KS got us through the powerplay and set up a platform for us. I have worked on it a lot over the years and it has become a strength for me. I wanted to cash in hitting to the shorter side with the wind going that way as well. To be able to have a full pre-season with my state side Victoria, put in a lot of work on my bowling and starting to see the rewards now. Hopefully people can stay safe, get vaccinated and we can travel around the world again and be nice and free.