IPL 9, Match 14: MI v RCB - 5 Talking Points

The Mumbai Indians picked up a thrilling win over the Royal Challengers Bangalore by an impressive 6-wicket margin. Rohit Sharma was at it once again with a fine half-century. With Chris Gayle out of the country, Kieron Pollard represented the West Indies in the IPL after finally managing to find the middle of his bat. The win witnesses MI salvage something from a season that has begun rather horribly for them. As for the Royal Challengers, they will be needing Chris Gayle to fire on all cylinders should they have any ambitions to lift the title.

1. RCB make wholesale changes:

The absence of Gayle meant that RCB had to dig into their reserves for reinforcements. However, the number of reinforcements that came in were much more than expected. The Challengers made 6 changes to the side with KL Rahul and Travis Head making their debuts for the men in red. Stuart Binny, Iqbal Abdulla, Varun Aaron, and Kane Richardson joined the debutantes as they made their way into the side. It was certainly a bit of a surprise that Parvez Rasool had been left out especially after eye-catching performances.

2. Challengers batting sparkles:

The batting unit of RCB has been a standout feature of their cricketing culture in perhaps all the seasons of the IPL. This night at the Wankhede Stadium was no different by any means. KL Rahul stepped up to open the innings with skipper Virat Kohli, scoring a useful 23 off 14 deliveries. AB de Villiers chipped in once again with a crisp 29 while Kohli himself smashed 33 before they fell to the trap set by Krunal Pandya. Sarfaraz Khan also added a quickfire 28 to the team’s cause, thereby concluding a strong batting performance by the Royal Challengers.

3. Travis Head shines on debut:

Travis Head had one of his proudest moments in his cricketing career when he received his cap from Virat Kohli before the start of the match. Despite being expected to open the batting like he does in the Big Bash, Head came in to bat only later in the innings. The nerves were on show for one and all to see as he got off to a nervy start apart from being lucky to keep his wicket. However, as in the case of many good batsmen, Head got his innings underway. He concluded with a whirlwind 37 off just 24 including 2 fours and 2 sixes.

4. Rohit Sharma battles the heat:

RCB went in with four pacers – Varun Aaron, Kane Richardson, Stuart Binny and Shane Watson. As Andy Roberts said, “The pace gets real hot.” Well, as far as the Challengers were concerned, the pace got real hot, but it was all about handling the heat, something the Mumbai batsmen did with pleasure. Skipper Rohit Sharma faced up to the RCB attack with the eye of the tiger. He was ready. Ready for the battle. Needless to say, he smashed 62 off 44 deliveries including four boundaries and three massive sixes. He smashed the ball to all parts of the Wankhede as he single-handedly ensured an MI win.

5. Kieron Pollard fires finally:

Kieron Pollard has been on the receiving end of substantial amount for misfiring. He had averaged just one run in the current IPL prior to taking the field tonight. It was balls to the wall as far as he was concerned. He had to deliver and the stage was perfectly set. Apart from keeping his wicket intact for two overs at a stretch, Pollard was in the reckoning for a big one. He scored a blistering 40 from just 19 deliveries. He took the Indians over the line to a much-needed win. Rohit will be mighty pleased that the big hitter has finally found his feet in the tournament.

How did the math pan out? – IPL 9, Match 14 Review: Rohit Sharma routes Mumbai to a composed victory over the Challengers