Bengaluru beats Mumbai at Wankhede for first time in 10 years in IPL thriller
MUMBAI, India (AP) — Krunal Pandya gave a full-throated roar to closing out his former team the Mumbai Indians and his younger brother Hardik Pandya in an Indian Premier League thriller on Monday.
Krunal, who helped Mumbai win three of their five IPL titles, was entrusted with bowling the final over in a raucous atmosphere and took three wickets to give Royal Challengers Bengaluru their first win in Wankhede Stadium in a decade.
After Bengaluru put up 221-5, Mumbai fell shy at 209-9.
Bengaluru was on top for most of the game.
Virat Kohli’s fastest Twenty20 half-century in seven years, off 29 balls, in a 42-ball 67, captain Rajat Patidar’s 32-ball 64, and Jitesh Sharma’s unbeaten 40 off 19 staked Bengaluru to an imposing total on a good batting pitch.
But Mumbai, backed by its impassioned fans, produced a dramatic comeback as Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya blasted apart the Bengaluru bowling.
Varma and Hardik slashed the run rate required by combining for 89 off 34 into the 18th over. But that’s when the chase suddenly stalled after Varma was caught for 56 off 29, and in the 19th over after Hardik was caught for 42 off 15.
The last over came down to 19 runs needed by Mumbai. But Krunal got Mitchell Santner caught in the deep first ball, and Deepak Chahar caught second ball on the boundary to an incredible double act between Phil Salt and Tim David.
Two sixes were needed off the last two balls to force a super over but Naman Dhir’s huge swipe was taken on the fence, prompting Krunal’s huge roar of delight.
“I wanted to win, he (Hardik) wanted to win,” Krunal said. “I feel for him.”
Captain Patidar received man of the match and praised his death bowlers, Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the 18th, Josh Hazlewood in the 19th, and Krunal.
“The way he bowled (that last over) was amazing,” Patidar said. “The way he showed courage was fantastic.”
Kohli sets up Bengaluru
Kohli became the fifth batsman to achieve 13,000 runs in T20s as the Indian batting maestro set the tone for a challenging total by hitting eight fours and two sixes.
Kohli joined Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard of West Indies, Alex Hales of England and Shoaib Malik of Pakistan to the landmark in a brisk 91-run stand off 52 balls with left-hander Devdutt Padikkal, who made a 22-ball 37.
Kohli welcomed Jasprit Bumrah, returning from a back injury in January, with a six on the on-side off the fast bowler’s first ball. But Bumrah quickly found his lengths and conceded only 29 runs off his four overs, the only Mumbai bowler to average less than 10 an over.
After Kohli fell to Hardik at deep midwicket, Patidar and Sharma, who smashed four sixes and two boundaries, accelerated against Trent Boult, the left-arm fast bowler who ended up with his most expensive IPL figures, 2-57.
Boult was in the middle at the end with a bat in his hand, unable to prevent Bengaluru from celebrating its first IPL win at Wankhede since 2015, and its third win in four games this season. Bengaluru, seeking its maiden IPL title, also beat Chennai Super Kings for the first time at Chepauk in 17 years.
Meanwhile, Mumbai lost its fourth game in five.
“We fell short by two hits,” captain Hardik said.
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