Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s all-round magic gets RCB back to winning ways in final-ball thriller
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru returned to winning ways after a sensational thriller against the Mumbai Indians. The match, which went down to the final ball, was decided at the Shaheed Veer Narayan International Stadium in Raipur. A game that oscillated between two giants trading haymakers saw a conclusion with twists no one saw coming.
Winning the toss, RCB opted to bowl first. An early charge from Bhuvneshwar Kumar saw MI being frazzled. Kumar started it all with the crucial scalp of Ryan Rickelton (2). Despite Rohit Sharma's (22) aggressive start (22), he soon fell prey to Kumar’s new ball majesty. To complicate matters for Mumbai, their skipper, Suryakumar Yadav (0) had to depart on the very first ball itself.
It was the stand between Naman Dhir (47) and Tilak Varma (57) that pushed RCB’s invasion back. Wobbling at 28/3, the duo managed to stitch together a 72-run-partnership for the fourth wicket, steadying the ship for Mumbai. Rasikh Salam Dar’s reintroduction into the act saw him providing RCB with the crucial break.
The fall of Dhir saw Mumbai entering into a phase of slowdown. Will Jacks (10) couldn’t really inject further momentum into the innings as his laboured stay in the center was snuffed out by Romario Shepherd who was already doing ripples with what was an economical spell already from the start itself.
Mumbai’s last straw of resistance blew into oblivion when Bhuvneshwar Kumar breached through the defences of Tilak Varma. Kumar’s extraordinary spell restricted Mumbai Indians to 166/7 at the end of their 20 overs. Bhuvi was the pick of the lot with incredible numbers of 4/23 from his allotment of four overs.
On a track that did exhibit its own fair shares of shenanigans, RCB needed to be wary. Much to their woes, they lost Virat Kohli (0) on the first ball that he was up against. Complicating matters further Devdutt Padikkal (12) lost his plot too while Rajat Patidar (8) couldn’t get a move on either as RCB was reduced to 39/3.
They desperately needed a strong shift to shake off the early jitters and it arrived in the form of the imminent partnership between Jacob Bethell and Krunal Pandya. Bethell was watchful as he anchored the stand at one end with a crucial knock of 27 while Krunal Pandya, after a cautious start, started shifting gears. The two added 55 runs for the fourth wicket before Corbin Bosch could remove Bethell.
Jitesh Sharma’s arrival in the center provided RCB a much-needed boost while also allowing Krunal Pandya an additional gear which saw him commandeering the innings with panache. Pandya and Sharma (18) added 37 runs for the fifth wicket, pushing RCB to a comfortable position. Just when it felt like RCB should have it easy with Krunal at the helm, that is when it all got wrong. Tim David fell for a golden duck while Pandya departed for a well-orchestrated 73.
Romario Shepherd (4) couldn’t connect with the ball as predominantly as he would have wanted. When it all boiled down to the final over and the tensions were rising, it was once again a name that everyone has been talking about. Bhuvneshwar Kumar delivered a smacking maximum to prune down the equation and it was finally a good display of nous from Rasikh Salam Dar who earned those couple of runs on the last ball to get RCB the bragging rights.
With that win, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru surged to the pole position, even though Punjab Kings have a game in hand. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the unanimous pick of the lot as the Player of the Match for his incredible spell with the ball and definitely for the strike in the final over.
