That is it from this game and the shift in the Indian T20 League table continues with teams formerly in a comfortable position losing games at the wrong time and allowing others to pounce. Next up is a clash between high-flying Chennai and a resurgent Delhi side in Chennai on Wednesday, the 10th of May. That game will begin at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT) but our build-up will begin much sooner. Cheers!
Suryakumar Yadav is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for his terrific knock of 83 runs from just 35 balls. He says that it was important for the team to come home and win like this and he is very happy. Adds that the opposition came up with a plan and tried to make him hit to the longer side and did not give him pace but the chat between him and Nehal Wadhera was to hit hard and find gaps and just keep things simple. Mentions that you have to practice the same way you do in a match and he tries to put himself under pressure in the net sessions and gets out of his comfort zone. Ends by saying that he knows where his runs are and he does not try to do anything different.
Rohit Sharma, the captain of Mumbai says that he knew the pitch was very good for batting and it was all about how you apply yourself. On Akash Madhwal, he says that he was with them last year as well and tells that he told him these are tough overs to bowl but he is up for the challenge and is a bit of a leader as well. Adds that he has no idea what a good score batting first would have been here and the nature of the pitch is such that regular scores of 200 or more happen here. Says that one thing he has noticed this season is that teams and individuals are taking more and more risks and it's coming off as well and that is why we are seeing more scores of over 200 runs, both being made and being chased as well.
The Presentation ceremony...
One of the top players for Mumbai in this game, Nehal Wadhera is down for a chat. Wadhera says that it was fun batting up the order and it feels good to get back-to-back fifties. Adds that he is happy with the win and tells that Wankhede is a ground where 200 is chasable and they played two practice games where they chased 200 which gave them more confidence. Praises Suryakumar Yadav and says that the chat was to stay there till the 15th over and they can finish the game. Mentions that he had the confidence that he can finish the game. Says that he sometimes tries to copy some of the shots that Suryakumar Yadav plays but cannot. Ends by saying that he grabs certain tips from him and hopes that he can continue this and learn more things.
The Bangalore skipper, Faf du Plessis says that they knew anything under 220 here was not safe with the batting that Mumbai have in their ranks. Adds that they are disappointed with the batting as they couldn't capitalize in the last five overs. Tells that they had to play the bluff card and say that 200 was enough. Mentions that the pace on deliveries were a little bit easier to play and it was important to change the pace. Praises Suryakumar Yadav for his incredible knock and says that he is one of the greatest players currently and it is really difficult to bowl to him as he has everything in his locker. Further adds that he makes a captain looks grey as you feel helpless. Credits Mohammed Siraj for his efforts and tells that he kept everyone quiet for some time but it is the nature of this format as people will come after you at some point in time.
Earlier in the game, Rohit Sharma won the toss and had no hesitation in bowling first on a flat track. Mumbai started off brilliantly with the ball as Jason Behrendorff sent Virat Kohli and Anuj Rawat packing within the first 3 overs. However, that was the best it got for Mumbai for a while. Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell counter-attacked sensationally for Bangalore and went on to form a big partnership, notching up individual fifties in the process as well. In the second half of the first innings, Mumbai managed to get rid of Maxwell and from there Bangalore started to fumble. Dinesh Karthik did play a decent cameo but they managed to get to only 199 runs. Jason Behrendorff picked up three wickets and was very consistent but it was Kumar Kartikeya's spell that actually turned things in Mumbai's favour. Coming to the chase, the hosts came out with intent and just kept on getting the big hits away before eventually sealing the game with plenty of balls to spare.
Bangalore seem to be losing momentum at the wrong time and have now gone on to lose yet another game trying to defend. They were short by 15-20 runs with the bat and started off poorly with the ball as well. Mohammed Siraj and Josh Hazlewood, their frontline pacers were put under pressure early and failed to recover much. Wanindu Hasaranga did get a double breakthrough in his first over but conceded many runs in the final two overs of his spell. The likes of Vyshak Vijay Kumar and Harshal Patel were simply off the pace and were dealt with ease by the Mumbai batters. They also missed a trick by not playing Kedar Jadhav in the line-up and using him as an Impact Player as this didn't allow them to bring on an extra bowler during the chase.
Mumbai needed 200 to win on a deck that was excellent for batting and it was certainly chasable. Ishan Kishan got them off to a stellar start as he went berserk in the Powerplay and smashed the opposition bowlers everywhere. It was another disappointing outing for skipper Rohit Sharma though but it didn't matter much in this game. Kishan fell going after the bowling after which Suryakumar Yadav and Nehal Wadhera stitched together a stellar stand. The pair were a bit watchful to start with but got away with boundaries and then just went into overdrive. They put on 140 big runs out of which SKY notched up 83 runs off just 35 deliveries and was unstoppable in the latter part of that inning. He got out right at the death but Wadhera finished things off with a maximum and notched up another classy half-century.
WHAT A WIN! Mumbai gunned down 200 or more runs for the third time this season and now rocketed up to third position in the points table. It was a pretty impressive batting performance from them in front of a vociferous home crowd and this win will give them a lot of momentum heading into the next few games.
In over# 17
6
0
1
Harshal Patel 41/0(3.3)
16.3
6
SIX! Nehal Wadhera finishes things off in style! FIFTY for him as well! Back-to-back half centuries from him and he is getting better every game. Harshal Patel lands this back of a length and around off, Nehal Wadhera stays there and muscles it over the deep extra cover fence for a maximum. MUMBAI WIN BY SIX WICKETS!
16.2
.
Short of a length and around off, slower too, Nehal Wadhera goes through his pull shot early and misses.
16.1
1
A full toss, on middle, Cameron Green eases it towards long on for a single. Mumbai are one big hit away from the win here.
In over# 16
1
0W
0W
6
4
7nb
1
Vyshak Vijay Kumar 37/2(3)
15.6
1
No hat-trick for Vyshak Vijay Kumar! This is back of a length and outside off, Cameron Green punches it towards sweeper covers for a single.
Cameron Green comes out to face the hat-trick ball.
15.5
W
OUT! Vyshak Vijay Kumar with a double strike! Tim David goes back for a golden duck. This is once again the knuckle ball, full and on off, Tim David gets beaten by the pace and flight and just chips it in the air towards long off where Glenn Maxwell runs forward and takes a simple catch. Vyshak Vijay Kumar is on a hat-trick now!
Strategic break! Right then, that was quick! Mumbai went from 3rd gear to 6th gear in a jiffy and now need just 8 runs off 26 deliveries. It should be over really soon and Bangalore will be wondering what happened. Suryakumar Yadav played a special knock and has put Mumbai on the brink of steaming into the top 3. Also, Tim David walks out to bat now.