Kohli denied by stunning Rohit

The Result: Mumbai Indians 6-213 (Rohit 94, Umesh 2-36) defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore 8-167 (Kohli 92no, Krunal 3-28) by 46 runs.

The match in a tweet: Both captains stepped up to post huge scores, the Wankhede Stadium lifted as Mumbai claim a maiden IPL 11 victory #MIvRCB

Rohit Rising: Rohit Sharma found himself in the middle on the third ball of the day after Umesh Yadav had clean bowled his two predecessors. He paired with Evin Lewis (65) for a 108-run stand, posting his own half-century from just 32 balls. He plundered 10 boundaries and five sixes, with his final 20 balls yielding the captain 44 runs. Rohit showed aggression towards Umesh – the same bowler that dismantled the top order – smashing 18 runs from six balls in the quick’s second spell. Rohit’s knock of 94 from just 52 balls key to Mumbai’s inaugural IPL 11 victory and a well-deserved player of the match.

The Kohli comeback: Staring down the barrel of a chase that required 214 and after omitting big-hitting Kiwi Brendon McCullum at the top of the order, Virat Kohli had a mountainous task ahead of him. He opened the batting and was quickly without Quinton de Kock (19) and AB De Villiers (1) as Mumbai started to rule the match, but Kohli counter-attacked blasting seven fours and four sixes with wickets tumbling around him. The RCB captain just ramped up his aggression after posting a half-century, his final 21 balls going for 42 runs, mirroring the effort of his opposing captain and finishing with 92no from 62 balls. In comparison, six of RCB’s batsmen combined were only able to muster 22 runs. The IPL’s all-time run scoring leader looks set for another stellar IPL campaign, already with two fifties from four attempts.

Krunal-Fu Pandya: Krunal Pandya’s 3-28 was a stunning return to form for the Mumbai livewire, knocking over the middle-order as Virat Kohli desperately searched for a batting partner. Last year’s player of the final in Mumbai’s victory, Krunal looms as a key figure if the reigning champions are to mount a comeback after a poor start to the campaign. He has five wickets in four matches and has contributed with the bat in each outing, Rohit Sharma praising his allrounder’s efforts post-match.

The Next Stop: Virat Kohli’s side will play Glenn Maxwell and the Delhi Daredevils on Sunday whilst Mumbai will look to claim back-to-back victories when they play the returning Rajasthan Royals on Monday.

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