T his match exemplified a team effortlessly chasing down a score of 200 without any pressure, and Mumbai Indians propelled their IPL 2023 season to new heights by climbing from No. 8 to No. 3 in the rankings. They achieved this feat by demolishing Royal Challengers Bangalore in a high-scoring match at the Wankhede stadium.
Leading the charge were Suryakumar Yadav and Nehal Wadhera, who displayed a magnificent exhibition of boundary hitting, scoring 140 runs in just 64 balls. Even seasoned bowlers such as Josh Hazlewood, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Harshal Patel were left puzzled by their remarkable performance.
With 101 runs required off 60 balls, Suryakumar Yadav’s explosive innings, which included a 35-ball 83, became his best performance in the IPL. His remarkable hitting reduced the equation to just 8 runs off 26 balls before he received a standing ovation upon leaving the field. This innings marked his fourth fifty-plus score in his last six matches, highlighting an impressive change of fortunes after a lackluster start to the season.
Suryakumar Yadav was accompanied by Nehal Wadhera for a significant portion of the innings. Wadhera capitalized on his promotion up the order due to Tilak Varma’s injury, and his partnership with Yadav was so intense that it had a demoralizing impact on RCB. As a result, RCB finds themselves in a congested mid-table position, with four teams tied at 10 points, and the possibility of a fifth team joining them on Wednesday night.
Before the thrilling turn of events, Jason Behrendorff made an impactful start at Wankhede by dismissing Virat Kohli and Anuj Rawat from his former team. Kohli was caught off guard on the fourth ball and his attempted heave resulted in a nick that was overturned through DRS. Meanwhile, Rawat’s top-edge to a scoop attempt landed in the hands of Cameron Green, who was running back from slip.
Behrendorff had an opportunity to take Faf du Plessis’ wicket on the very first ball, but Wadhera dropped the catch at midwicket. Du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell quickly offset RCB’s early losses and took them from 16 for 2 to 56 for 2 after six overs.
Despite RCB’s vulnerable middle order this season, Maxwell and du Plessis took charge and launched a strong attack. Du Plessis hit two fours off Chawla and continued to dominate Green. Meanwhile, Maxwell welcomed Chris Jordan – who replaced Jofra Archer in the XI – by hitting him for two sixes in his very first over, bringing up their partnership’s half-century in just 25 balls.
Du Plessis showed his strength by backing away and swinging cleanly or lofting through the line on instinct. Meanwhile, Maxwell’s hitting was a mix of innovation and absurdity, including switch-hitting, slog-sweeping, scooping, and reverse-ramping. His disdain towards the bowling made it seem as if Mumbai Indians were in for a target in the range of 230. The duo had a partnership of 120 runs off just 60 balls when Maxwell was caught at deep midwicket for a 33-ball 68.
After losing Lomror and du Plessis, who scored a 61 off 45 balls, in quick succession, RCB’s lower middle order was exposed. To give the finishing kick, RCB brought in their Impact Player, Kedar Jadhav, along with Dinesh Karthik. However, Karthik struggled initially but managed to hit Kumar Kartikeya’s left-arm spin in the 18th over.
Unfortunately, he was dismissed with just 11 balls left, leaving RCB shortchanged. Akash Madhwal, a rookie seamer, delivered an excellent final over that only went for six runs, and RCB finished with 199. The last five overs of their innings only brought them 48 runs.
