STATS HIGHLIGHTS
Follow UsIt has been a contrasting second half for Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2021, much similar to their IPL 2020 season. However, they were up against the defending champions Mumbai Indians, who themselves are striving to find their lost mojo. Sent into bat first, one of the most successful opening pairs this season, Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal found themselves in trouble after the latter was dismissed without troubling the scorers. Kona Shrikar Bharath and Kohli resurrected the innings with a 68-run partnership for the second wicket. Then, followed it up by a 51-run partnership for the third wicket between Glenn Maxwell and Kohli. Kohli registered yet another half-century, second in succession and the biggest take away, Maxwell was among runs in UAE, finally! Just when Bangalore were looking good for a 180+ total, Jasprit Bumrah dismissed both Maxwell and AB de Villiers in the same over to restrict Bangalore to 165.
Chasing 166, Mumbai were off to a flyer with Quinton de Kock and Rohit Sharma posting a 57-run opening stand. But what followed later is just not a concern for Mumbai, but also a concern for India. Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya were all dismissed for cheap scores. The icing on the cake for Bangalore was Harshal Patel’s hat-trick in the 17th over. By virtue of a four-wicket haul by Harshal, three-wicket haul by Yuzvendra Chahal and two vital wickets by Maxwell, Mumbai were dismissed for 111. Here are some of the notable stats from Match 39:
Kohli becomes to first Indian score to 10k T20 runs
With 13 runs required to 10k runs in T20s at the start of his innings against Mumbai, Kohli reached the milestone with a six off Bumrah in the fourth over. By reaching the landmark in his 299th innings, Kohli became the second quickest in this 10k club. Chris Gayle reached the landmark in 285 innings, the quickest. Kohli now has 10k runs in all three formats: First-class, List-A and T20s. Gayle is the only other batsmen to have achieved this record.
Third RCBian to a Hat-trick in IPL
It has been a sensational season for Harshal. In his earlier encounter against Mumbai, he picked up his first five-for in T20s. In the reverse fixture, he starred once again with a hat-trick to his name, the pinnacle of a record for any bowler in any format. He became the third Bangalore bowler to achieve this feat in IPL after Praveen Kumar in 2010 against Rajasthan Royals and Samuel Badree against Mumbai in 2017. In addition, Harshal is the first uncapped pacer to bag an IPL hat-trick.
The death overs specialist
For ages, Bangalore’s search for a death over specialist on the bowling front has been a saga of failures. But this season, it has been different. The uncapped lad from Himachal Pradesh, Harshal has shouldered the responsibility of ending that search. More than him donning the Purple Cap with 23 wickets, Bangalore would be happy that 69.6 percent (16 out of 23) of his wickets have come in the last five overs. No other Bangalore bowler has bagged more wickets than Harshal in a season of IPL in the last five overs.
Mumbai’s lowest scores against Bangalore
57 runs for the first wicket and 54 runs between the next nine wickets, that’s how it panned out for Mumbai in their chase of 166 against Bangalore. 9857300507! Those are just not numbers, those were the scores of Mumbai’s three to 11 batsmen including the extras (7). On the back of this batting debacle, Mumbai suffered their lowest score against Bangalore in the IPL. Their previous lowest of 115/9 was also at the same venue in 2014. It doesn’t end there. This is also the lowest total for a team after having a 50-run opening stand.
Bangalore’s twin victories
Beating Mumbai once in a season itself has been a difficult feat for Bangalore sometimes. In the 2021 edition of IPL, they have achieved the unachievable. For the first time in 13 years, Bangalore have beaten Mumbai twice in the same edition. In their reverse leg against Mumbai, they won by two wickets off the last ball, chasing 160. But, in this match, they romped over with a 54-run win.
