Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma fall short by 12 runs as MI go down in a tight finish to RCB.
Hardik Pandya threatened a grand heist with a sensational 15-ball 42 but RCB prevailed in a thriller, winning by 12 runs. Virat Kohli sizzled with a classy fifty, Rajat Patidar sparkled with a spunky half ton as RCB piled 221 and managed to get past Hardik and Tilak Varma to register a special win.
RCB had lost their last six games at the Wankhede stadium but they breached the fortress with a scintillating batting display and by holding their nerves in the chase. Kohli turned on the run tap with an innings of quality, repeatedly taking on the bowlers before Patidar gave them a dream finish. The leggie Suyash Sharma held Mumbai back in the middle overs but Hardik and Tilak nearly seized the night until Josh Hazlewood and Krunal Pandya intervened to stop them at 209/9.
Finally, a proper rollercoaster
RCB prevailed but not without sweating profusely as Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma threatened a great heist but both fell in quick succession to leave the rest with too much.
But until then, what drama. Who could have said that the best thing to have happened to Mumbai Indians in the 222-run chase was the dismissal of Suryakumar Yadav. When Suryakumar fell, the equation read 122 from 48 balls. In a Mumbai minute, Hardik Pandya changed everything with an astonishing assault on Josh Hazlewood and his brother Krunal Pandya, who would have the last laugh in the final over.
At one point Hardik was on 32 from just 7 balls. Also, not just Pandya but Tilak Verma, who was retired hurt last game as he struggled to get going, had his sweet redemption. Almost. He slammed 17 runs with slog and reverse sweeps against RCB’s best spinner on the night Suyash Sharma in the 13th over before Hardik took over imperiously.
