All is not lost even after the MI loss
So near, yet so far. The miscue by Virat Kohli off the last delivery of the match dig Team Royal Challengers in, when 3 runs were required for a victory. But even after the loss, RC is still very much in the tournament while Mumbai Indians are out. That's an irony of a win!
So near, yet so far. The miscue by Virat Kohli off the last delivery of the match dig Team Royal Challengers in, when 3 runs were required for a victory. But even after the loss, RC is still very much in the tournament while Mumbai Indians are out. That's an irony of a win!
The match, however, was won and lost in the last 5 overs of each innings. Mumbai Indians plundered 69 runs in the last 5, including 22 runs off RC skipper Anil Kumble's 17th over. RC could manage only 52, having been ahead of the Mumbai Indians till the 15th over. Kumble was winning the tactical and strategical mindgame, until that point, when he held back Dale Steyn and Jacques Kallis so as to keep Keiron Pollard under leash. But Dwayne Bravo had other ideas and along with Saurabh Tiwary, a recovery was staged, which upstaged the RC gameplan.
While chasing the modest 165, it was a Rahul Dravid's fighting spirit which brought RC back into the game after down 100/5 by the 14th over. Dravid was scoring at a brisk rate without taking too much of a risk as wickets were tumbling at the other end at regular intervals. Kohli's cameo, thereafter, nearly sealed the win for RC, but for that miscued shot.
The irony is, despite the loss RC is still with a chance to move into the semi-finals, while Mumbai Indians got to take the long flight back home. The Net Run Rate (NRR) is already playing in favour of the Challengers. From this group, the South Australian Redbacks are already in the semi-finals. The fight until the start of this match was between RC, Mumbai Indians and Highveld Lions. With the loss, RC remains at 2 points while Lions (with a game in hand) is at 4 points. Mumbai Indians finished their league engagements at 4 points. In terms of NRR, RC is way ahead of the other two at 0.+852, while Lions is 0.+716 and Mumbai Indians are distant third at 0.+221, which eventually eliminated them from the tournament.
RC now faces the Lions in the last game. A win will only help the cause to move to the last four, nothing less. The Net Run Rate can now well be forgotten. Its a virtual quarterfinal on Tuesday.
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send ross and white in down d order
rahul was supeb and he again proved that he's wall
where is MANISH ?????????????
keeping is worse
dravid can do better keeping than uthappa
aftr a 25 ball 46
Good luck RCB for the 21st - make us proud and get through to the semi's will be praying for a great win!!!!