Harshal Patel starred in a topsy-turvy match to help Royal Challengers Bangalore beat Mumbai Indians by two wickets in the first match of Indian Premier League 2021. The match went down to the last ball when Bangalore needed a single off Marco Jansen. Harshal Patel turned the ball to the fine leg and set off. A diving Jasprit Bumrah failed to prevent the single.
Earlier in the day, Harshal finished with remarkable figures of 4-0-27-5 to help restrict Mumbai Indians to 159/9. Harshal’s spell included an incredible last over when Mumbai lost four wickets (including a run out) for just one run. It turned out to be a match-winning over. In all, Mumbai lost 6 for 24 in the last 25 balls of the innings.
Mumbai began tentatively after Virat Kohli won a rare toss and asked them to bat. Mohammed Siraj and Kyle Jamieson were quick and incisive. Rohit Sharma and Chris Lynn spent a few anxious overs before Rohit pushed one to Virat Kohli at cover-point, hesitated, and was run out.
Suryakumar Yadav did not show sign of nerves. After a tentative start, Lynn opened up, and the pair added 70 in 42 balls to put Mumbai on track. However, Jamieson came back to have Surya (31 in 23 balls) caught behind, while Lynn (49 in 35) mistimed a slog in Washington Sundar’s only over. The two quick wickets hit Mumbai. Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya found the odd boundary, but Mumbai were pegged back by wickets at regular intervals.
Kohli walked out with Sundar to begin the chase for Bangalore. The ploy did not work. Sundar, unable to get going against Bumrah and Trent Boult, mistimed a slog off Krunal Pandya. Rajat Patidar chopped one on to the stumps off Boult, and Bangalore were 46/2.
But Glenn Maxwell (39 in 28 balls) opened up in an array of fours and sixes, often straight, sometimes reverse-swept. With Kohli (33 in 29) finding the odd boundary, Bangalore seemed on course for the target of 160. At one point they needed 62 in 46 balls with eight wickets in hand.
Then Bumrah returned to trap Kohli leg-before, while Lynn dove forward at fine-leg to dismiss Maxwell. The latter became Jansen’s maiden wicket in the IPL. Two more wickets fell before de Villiers (48 in 27) finally decided to go for the kill, lofting Boult into the stands and slamming him for a straight four, then finding two fours in three balls against Bumrah.
With 8 to get off 8, Jamieson pushed one back to Bumrah and, for some reason, set off for a single and was run out. With 3 to score from 3 balls, de Villiers pushed one to deep mid-wicket and set off for the second run. Krunal’s throw beat his dive. Siraj and Harshal got the two remaining runs.
Brief scores
Mumbai Indians 159/9 in 20 overs (Chris Lynn 49; Harshal Patel 5-27) lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore 160/8 in 20 overs (AB de Villiers 48; Jasprit Bumrah 2-26) by 2 wickets with 0 balls to spare. Player of the Match: Harshal Patel.