IPL SRL | RCB vs MI Evaluation Chart - Rohit Sharma ton helps Mumbai breach Bengaluru fort

ByAakash Sivasubramaniam, SportsCafe Editor

05/29/2020

Opting to bowl first, Mumbai Indians got off to the worst start possible, with RCB putting up 184 on board after the first innings. However, the home side were not aware of the tricks Rohit and co had up in their sleeves, as an unbeaten century from the Indian opener took Mumbai home.

Match Review

Rohit Sharma’s decision of winning the toss and sending the home side to bat first backfired immensely and immediately, as Aaron Finch and Parthiv Patel, at the top of the order, got RCB off to a blazing start in a dragon-eque manner. The Australian opener did not stop there, scoring a fantastic 76 before Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers put on a show later in the innings. De Villiers’ 36-ball 61 was enough to take RCB to a humongous total of 184 at the end of the innings. At 9.2 runs per over, the home side took the game against one of the most successful sides in IPL history.

On the other hand, if there is one side who could chase 185 in reply, it is Mumbai Indians. This franchise, in the past, has scored 194 in 14 overs, which in contrast to 185 in 20 is nothing. However, this time around, they got off to a terrible start, with de Kock exiting the scene in the first over. After that, though, things took a dramatic turn, with skipper Rohit leading the line. The right-handed opener, along with some help from Suryakumar Yadav and Kieron Pollard, took the side home in sublime fashion. Moreso, the Indian opener ended the innings unbeaten on 110 in just 58 deliveries, scoring nine boundaries and seven sixes.

You can check out the scorecard and Match Tracker here.

Turning Point

Virat Kohli’s dismissal once again was the turning point in the encounter, despite Bangalore putting over 180 on board. The reason, fairly obvious, despite the start that RCB got off to, 180 was all they could put up on board. They already had scored 70 runs in the powerplay phase, which only helped the rest of the batting order to get going from the first ball. However, not only did Kohli not get off to a good start but also wasted the opportunity for the others to showcase their natural game. His 20-ball 17 definitely turned the momentum around for the home side, who were cruising at one point in the encounter.

Highs and Lows

Rohit Sharma’s knock was a thing of joy. There are only few people who come off as pleasing to the eye in all the three formats of the game and Rohit is one of them. This time, against RCB's bowling attack, the Indian opener had a field day as he partied hard with his bat throughout the second innings. On top of that, he also scored an unbeaten century, which got the tourists home on the day.

Quinton de Kock’s rare off-day was arguably the lowest point in the game, with the southpaw making an early exit without making any sort of impression. Hang on, the only impression that he made was a rather sad one for the Mumbai fans, with his first ball exit against the budding Indian pacer Navdeep Saini. Rohit Sharma would feel definitely feel let down by his batting partner after RCB had earlier posted a huge total on board. The management would surely be pointing at the Proteas star for him to return back to the form he showed in the early part of the competition.

Rating Charts

Powerplay exploitation: RCB 9.5/10 and MI 4/10

The duo of Parthiv Patel and Aaron Finch lit the stage up for the home side on the day while the Mumbai Indians bowlers were left in literal tears. Until the two over mark, the Challengers were taking it slowly before Finch decided to unleash his blade. The blade left the Mumbai Indians bowlers in tatters, with him scoring 45 runs in the next three overs. Patel, too, did not disappoint as in the end, the Reds got to a total of 68 runs without losing a single wicket, with ABD and Kohli still waiting in the hut.

In contrast, Mumbai Indians suffered the pressure of chasing a huge target, which was visible throughout their powerplay overs. In the very first over, the Indian bowling sensation Navdeep Saini picked up the crucial wicket of Quinton de Kock, which, at one point, looked like it put the game to rest. The Indian did not stop there, picking another wicket before the powerplay phase came to an end. However, Mumbai only could manage to score 48 runs after the six-over period.

Middle-overs manoeuvring: RCB 6/10 and MI 8/10

The way RCB followed up their powerplay was disappointing. After putting up 68 runs board without any reply, they let Mumbai back into the encounter with some ordinary batting. Parthiv Patel was the first to exit, with Nathan Coulter-Nile pulling one back for the tourists. It was Krunal Pandya’s timely wicket of Finch, though, which ultimately slowed the hosts down in sublime fashion. After the ten over mark, they could only put up two over blocks of 12 runs an over, adding 70 runs in the middle phase of the innings.

If the side is already two down, chasing 186 in a T20 encounter, it puts the middle order in a lot of pressure. However, that is exactly where Mumbai Indians excel, with a batting order as deep as some of the oceans around the world. Till the 12th over mark, it was the duo of Rohit-Suryakumar Yadav which led the three-time IPL winning franchise. Once Yadav took the long walk, Pollard joined skipper Rohit as they were just behind RCB’s total after the same mark.

Death bowling: RCB 2/10 and MI 7/10

In the last phase of the innings, Mumbai bowlers found their mojo back, picking four wickets. On the other hand, where it mattered, the RCB lower-order could only score 46 runs, out of which AB de Villiers was the biggest contributor. His 36-ball 61 towards the end was enough to take the home side to a total of 184. For MI, Dhawal Kulkarni’s triple wicket spell was enough to stop RCB from getting to a 200+ score.

Kohli and co’s death bowling lasted exactly three overs - where they went from winning the game to terribly folding under pressure, all in the span of 18 deliveries. Chris Morris and Umesh Yadav definitely did not help the cause, conceding 38 runs in the last two, when the game was still winnable for the home side. Rohit-Pollard took the franchise home comfortably, thwarting RCB’s attack to all parts of the ground.

Match Frenzy O Meter - Good

The game had all segments worthy of T20 cricket, with a near-perfect T20 game on display. Barring the exceptionally slow innings from Indian skipper Virat Kohli, every other batsman on the day scored with a mind-boggling strike-rate. On top of that, Rohit Sharma constantly put the ball out of the ground en route to his 110, which came off just 58 deliveries.