Pune : Suryakumar Yadav led Mumbai Indians’ revival after a middle-order wobble as the five-time IPL champions posted 151/6 in their 20 overs against Royal Challengers Bangalore at MCA Stadium on Saturday.
After Mumbai made a fantastic start in power-play, Bangalore fought back to reduce them to 79/6. But Yadav slammed an unbeaten 68 off 37 balls, laced with five fours and six sixes and stitched a stand of 72 off 41 balls with Jaydev Unadkat (13 not out) to lend respectability to Mumbai’s total.
Mumbai were off to a fine start with Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan cruising through power-play to be 49/0. After being 13/0 in the first three overs as the pitch had a hint of swing for pacers, even though Sharma and Kishan took a boundary each, runs began to flow fast for Mumbai.
Sharma danced down the pitch to launch a six over long-on off Mohammed Siraj, followed by flicking a full toss through mid-wicket in the fourth over. Sharma and Kishan then took 13 runs off Wanindu Hasaranga in the fifth over, including three boundaries.
Sharma signed off from power-play by timing a beautiful cover drive off Akash Deep. But just two balls after the power-play ended, Sharma tried to flick a slower delivery from Harshal Patel and the leading edge flew back to the bowler.
Dewald Brevis was troubled by Deep beating him with movement and bounce. When he went on backfoot to counter a googly from Hasaranga, the ball turned in to trap him plumb lbw in front of stumps.
In the tenth over, Kishan tried to ramp a short ball from Deep and was caught at deep third man running to his right. Tilak Varma ran straightaway after tapping the ball through off-side. But Glenn Maxwell fired a sharp under-arm throw, diving from short cover to catch Varma short of his crease.
Hasaranga got his second wicket when he slipped in a googly sharply turning in to trap Kieron Pollard plumb lbw for a golden duck. Pollard went for the review but couldn’t change the decision as the umpire’s call showed the ball hitting the top of bails.
Yadav found boundaries with drive on the up and cut through point. But wickets tumbled from another end as Ramandeep Singh poked at slower outside off delivery from Patel and took a feather edge behind to keeper for a low catch.
Yadav continued to strike boundaries, lofting inside-out for a six over extra-cover off Shahbaz Ahmed, followed by a paddle sweep through short fine leg for four. He took a four off Siraj with a whip through mid-wicket and slow-swept Hasaranga for a six over deep mid-wicket.
After surviving an lbw appeal off Patel, Yadav and Unadkat took a boundary each as 13 runs came off the 18th over. Siraj came under more thrashing from Yadav as the right-hander slammed sixes over extra cover, deep square leg and the third man to take 23 runs off 19th over. Yadav finished off the innings with a six clubbed over long-on to take Mumbai past 150.
Brief scores: Mumbai Indians 151/6 in 20 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 68 not out, Rohit Sharma 26; Harshal Patel 2/23, Wanindu Hasaranga 2/28) against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
–IANS