Sparkling Mumbai too good for RCB

Bangalore team suffers nine-wicket defeat

For the second match in the running, Tendulkar anchored the Mumbai’s chase with an assured knock to help his team register an easy nine-wicket win. The veteran right-hander was the rock around which his team-mates had a merry time at the cost of home bowlers to reach 143 in 18.3 overs. RCB scored a moderate 140 for four in their stipulated 20 overs.

That is not to say Tendulkar (55 n.o., 46b, 7x4) was just a bystander. Where Tendulkar dismantled the erring RCB bowlers with a touch of finesse, opener Davy Jacobs (22, 16b, 2x4, 2x6) and then Ambati Rayudu (63 n.o., 50b, 9x4) demolished them with brute power.

Jacobs began the destruction job taking 17 off Zaheer Khan’s second over even as Tendulkar cut and nudged to keep both ends busy. Apart from skipper Daniel Vettori, the one good bowler on show for RCB, Dirk Nannes who cleaned up Jacobs with a yorker and bowled a wicket maiden, walked off the field with an injury, dealing a body blow to the local team.

 A Mithun continued to be as profligate while Vettori’s efforts to make up for Nannes’ absence through part-times came unstuck. Tendulkar and Ruyudu made full use of the weakened home attack to raise 110 runs for the unbroken second wicket off just 86 balls to power Mumbai to a command nine-wicket victory.  Earlier, Mayank Agarwal experienced two extremes of the game in just as many matches.

The high of slamming Muttiah Muralitharan’s first ball over mid-wicket fence during the game against Kochi Tuskers Kerala on his IPL debut didn’t last long as the youngster was cleaned up by an away-swinging yorker by Lasith Malinga off the first ball of the innings.
 Malinga’s opening over set the tone for the innings as the Challengers’ innings progressed at a snail’s pace for the first 10 overs. Virat Kohli, who nearly was trapped in front by a Malinga fuller delivery, showed signs of tackling the Sri Lankan paceman creaming him for two fours but mistimed his heave off a much slower Kieron Pollard to depart early.

 Dilshan and last-match hero AB de Villiers set about the repair job as runs dried up further. On a difficult wicket, where hitting through the line wasn’t the easiest of tasks, the two found it tough to pace the innings to their liking; just 24 coming off the six Power Play overs. Dilshan in particular looked ill at ease as he failed to get the measure of Mumbai bowlers, especially the spinners. It wasn’t before he had faced 17 balls that he scored his first boundary – a paddle-swept four off Harbhajan Singh – but that wasn’t the sign of things to come though.

 The accurate Mumbai bowlers continued to have the two batsmen in bind and the odd boundary didn’t quite bother them. The innings began to gather steam in the second half when left-arm spinner Ali Murtuza went for nine runs in the 12th over. The Challengers’ batsmen kicked off from there on collecting nearly nine runs a over. De Villiers, who had shown his penchant for the sixes against Kochi, scored RCB’s first six when he lifted Murtuza over long-on, the shot also bringing up hosts’ 100 in the 16th over. The South African (38, 36b, 3x4, 1x6) didn’t stay long after that but Dilshan chugged along.

 Saurabh Tiwary (16 n.o. off 10) swung around his bat while Dilshan pulled some of his power hitting in the final over – Malinga going for 16 – as RCB appeared to have put on a competitive total. But Mumbai batting carried far too many guns for an uninspiring RCB bowling. 

SCORE BOARD

ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE:  Mayank Agarwal b Malinga 0 (1b), Tillakaratne Dilshan (not out) 59 (52b, 4x4, 2x6), Virat Kohli c Jacobs b Pollard 12 (19b, 2x4), AB de Villiers c&b Pollard 38 (36b, 3x4, 1x6), Asad Pathan b Malinga 0 (2b), Saurabh Tiwary (not out) 16 (10b, 3x4). Extras (B-4, LB-7, W-4) 15. Total (for 4 wkts, 20 overs) 140.
Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Agarwal), 2-19 (Kohli), 3-110 (de Villiers), 4-112 (Pathan). 
Bowling: Lasith Malinga 4-0-32-2 (w-1), Munaf Patel 3-0-10-0, Kieron Pollard 4-0-25-2 (w-1), Ali Murtuza 4-0-26-0, Harbhajan Singh 4-0-27-0 (w-2), James Franklin 1-0-9-0. 
Scoring pattern: 5 overs: 20/2; 10: 50/2; 15: 91/2; End of innings: 140/4 in 20 overs.   Runs during Power Play: 1-6 overs: 24/2.

MUMBAI INDIANS: Davy Jacobs b Nannes 22 (16b, 2x4, 2x6), Sachin Tendulkar (not out) 55 (46b, 7x4), Ambati Rayudu (not out) 63 (50b, 9x4). Extras (LB-1, NB-1, W-1) 3. Total (for 1 wkt, 18.3 overs) 143.
Fall of wicket: 1-33 (Jacobs).
Bowling: Zaheer Khan 4-0-36-0 (w-1), Daniel Vettori 4-0-18-0, Dirk Nannes 1-1-0-1, A Mithun 3-0-31-0 (nb-1), Virat Kohli 2-0-15-0, Tillakaratne Dilshan 1-0-12-0, Asad Pathan 3.3-0-30-0.
Scoring pattern: 5 overs: 33/1; 10: 78/1; 15: 116/1; End of innings: 143/1 in 18.3 overs.
Runs during Power Play1: 1-6 overs: 40/1.