Pandya and Kohli help RCB rout DC by six wickets to go top

Krunal Pandya and Virat Kohli overcame their struggles of timing and momentum to smash fifties each and help Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) go on top of points table after beating Delhi Capitals (DC) by six wickets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday.

After RCB’s bowlers, led by Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s 3-33, Josh Hazlewood’s 2-36 and a stifling act by Krunal and Suyash Sharma, restricted DC to a below-par 162/8 on a two-paced pitch, the side were quickly in tatters at 26/3. But Krunal stepped up to smash a brilliant 73 off 47 balls, laced with five fours and four sixes.

He was well-supported by a 47-ball 51 from Kohli, as the duo shared a 119-run stand for the fourth wicket. Tim David finished off the chase with an unbeaten 21 off five balls to ensure RCB maintained its clean slate in away games and run-chases in this season.

Jacob Bethell gave a bright start to RCB’s chase by flicking Mitchell Starc for a six and a four on consecutive balls in the second over. But Bethell was removed by Axar Patel, as he miscued a pull to deep mid-wicket. Two balls later, Axar struck again by castling impact player Devdutt Padikkal, before skipper Rajat Patidar was run-out by a direct hit from Nair, leaving RCB in trouble at 26/3.

DC’s squeeze in power-play didn’t allow Kohli and Pandya to break free. But after the half-way mark, Kohli showed signs of aggression by pulling Kuldeep Yadav for four, before Pandya, who previously took a four off Vipraj Nigam on a no-ball, whipped Dushmantha Chameera for six.

With Kohli content in strike rotation, Pandya shrugged off his rusty self by dealing exclusively in sixes - swivelling and lofting Mukesh Kumar for consecutive maximums, before lofting Kuldeep over long-off. Pandya brought up his fifty off 38 balls by sweeping Axar’s last ball of the day for four, before being dropped on 54 by Abishek Porel at deep mid-wicket.

Kohli later brought up his sixth fifty of this season off 45 balls with a single, which also brought up the century of his game-defining stand with Pandya, who then flicked and sliced Mukesh Kumar for consecutive fours. Though Kohli fell after lofting to long-off against Chameera, David swung Mukesh for a six and a four, including off a no-ball, before slicing and heaving on consecutive deliveries to seal a fabulous win for RCB with nine balls to spare.

Bumrah shines in Mumbai win: Pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah returned figures of 4-22 to lead heavyweights Mumbai Indians (MI) to their fifth successive win with a 54-run hammering of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).

Five-time champions Mumbai posted 215-7 after South Africa’s Ryan Rickleton, a left-hand wicketkeeper-batsman, hit 58 and Suryakumar Yadav hammered 54 at the Wankhede Stadium.

All the bowlers contributed, including England’s Will Jacks who took two wickets in one over, as Mumbai bowled out Lucknow for 161, pushing them up to second in the 10-team table in the T20 tournament.

It was Mumbai’s 150th victory in the Indian Premier League, the first time for any team in the league. Bumrah stood out after he dismissed Aiden Markram to go past former quick Lasith Malinga’s record of 170 IPL wickets to become Mumbai’s leading bowler.

Bumrah, who has returned from a back injury that made him miss India’s Champions Trophy title win in Dubai last month, now has 174 wickets.

Lucknow opener Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran hit back with a flurry of boundaries in their breezy partnership of 42.

Jacks got Pooran out for 27 with his off-spin and struck two balls later to send back Lucknow skipper Rishabh Pant, caught out for four while the left-hander attempted a reverse sweep.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Pant, who was brought by Lucknow at an all-time auction record of $3.21 million in November, has flopped with the bat, scoring just 110 runs in nine innings.

New Zealand left-arm quick Trent Boult took down Australia’s Marsh for 34 and later got Ayush Badoni out on 35 to derail the chase and returned figures of 3-20.

Agence France-Presse