And out of nowhere, Mumbai Indians have emerged as prime contenders to make it to the playoffs now. How, one would ask? Simply by chasing down a target of 197 in only 14.3 overs, and seven wickets to spare. It was a special effort from the team, for whom, nothing seemed to be going right in the first three matches. Right from Hardik Pandya‘s captaincy, to alleged concerns of rift between him & Rohit Sharma..and more.
But all that is a story of past now. Rohit Sharma seems to be striking at his best, Ishan Kishan is surely making a mark, Suryakumar Yadav has returned well, and Jasprit Bumrah continues to be impressive. In short, Mumbai Indians is the team to beat. On the other hand, Royal Challengers Bengaluru played yet another match in IPL 2024.
Ishan & Rohit Smash it Out of the Park
The opening duo of MI had a partnership of a lifetime. Starting out a bit slowly, the duo shifted gears from the fourth over onwards, and were merciless in their approach. Ishan scored 69 in 34 deliveries and Rohit added 38 in 24 balls. In the ninth over itself, Mumbai had crossed the 100-run mark.
In-form Surya & Hardik
Guess what. Even Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya shone with the bat for Mumbai. Coming back after a long injury lay-off, Surya smashed 52 from 19 and sent a warning to every team in the IPL. Then captain Hardik was also at his smashing best as he scored 21 from 6 balls only. This was for the very first time that he looked in his element, and was a threat to the opposition.
The Jasprit Bumrah Show
In a match where every bowler was punished, it was only Bumrah, who came up with miserly figures. In fact, he went on to bag a fifer and ended with 5/21 vs RCB. But what was more heartening to see the way he got Virat Kohli out. The ball nipped back in sharply, as the batsman was pushed backwards. Kohli was caught by the keeper for 3.
Will Jack Ploy Fails
Finally, after a delay of five matches, the RCB management opted to go with swashbuckling Will Jacks. But the debutant failed to live up to the promise, and was out for eight from six. But notwithstanding his performance in the match vs MI, the English batter should be persisted with, in a line up that has a fragile-looking batting order.
Glenn Maxwell Will Shine at T20 World Cup
RCB all-rounder Maxwell once again failed at the ongoing tournament. He has 32 runs in six matches in IPL 2024. But one shouldn’t be worried for him form. He is bound to come good at some point..during the T20 World Cup, when he plays for Australia. He has a strike rate of 94 this season in IPL.
Consolation Prize Goes to DK
With an innings of 53 from 23 balls, Dinesh Karthik showed once again, why he is one of the best finishers in the game. It was his final push that took RCB to 196. But that was only a consolation contribution from him, as his innings went in vain. Having said that, it might just seal his spot for the T20 World Cup.
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