PIX: Surya shines as Mumbai Indians crush Royal Challengers

Images from Wednesday's Indian Premier League match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians, in Abu Dhabi.

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Suryakumar Yadav scored a career-best 79 off 43 balls to power Mumbai Indians past Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League match, in Abu Dhabi, on Wednesday.

The victory saw the defending champions put one foot into the play-offs after moving to the top of the table with 16 points. With another two games left, they are all but through.

Royal Challengers are placed second with 14 points from 12 matches.

Not considered for the tour of Australia despite a consistent run in domestic cricket and the IPL, Suryakumar led Mumbai Indians’s chase of 165 as they achieved the target, scoring 166-5 with five balls to spare.

Earlier, Jaspirit Bumrah (3 for 14) was his usual, devastating self in the death overs as Mumbai Indians pulled things back to restrict the Royal Challengers to 164 for six.

During the course of the game, Bumrah picked his 100th IPL wicket in the form of Royal Challengers captain Virat Kohli, who, incidentally, also was his first scalp in the lucrative event.

Indeed, the second half of the match belonged to Surya, as he not only guided the team out of trouble after early jitters, but took them home.

Hardik Pandya played a useful cameo, scoring 17 off 15 balls, including two sixes.

Mumbai were in spot of bother at 72 for three, having lost openers Ishan Kishan (25), Quinton De Kock (18) and Saurabh Tiwary (5) cheaply, but that did not deter Surya, who initially upped the ante in the 10th over, hammering a six and four off Yuzvendra Chahal (2-37).

He and Krunal Pandya (10) collected 13 runs off the 12th over and then he took on Dale Steyn, hitting him for three fours.

A determined Surya kept playing shots at will and hammered three boundaries in the 16th over as the equation came down to 35 runs from 24 balls.

He played round the park and fittingly finished the game with a boundary.

Earlier, young Padikkal pummelled the Mumbai Indians attack into submission with a 45-ball 74 before Bumrah stepped in to restrict Royal Challengers Bangalore to 164 for 6.

Put in to bat, Padikkal plundered 12 fours and a six while adding 71 runs for the opening wicket with Josh Philippe (33).

However, Royal Challengers Bangalore then suffered a middle-order collapse as Mumbai roared back into the game with lead pacer Bumrah (3/14) doing the bulk of damage.

Padikkal began with a boundary over deep extra cover and then struck successive fours off Krunal Pandya, as the royal Challengers fetched 12 runs in the third over.

The two openers continued playing their shots, the highlight being Philippe's six over Trent Boult's head in the fifth over.

Padikkal then went on the offensive against James Pattinson, collecting two fours, as Royal Challengers raced to 54 without loss in six overs.

However, leg-spinner Rahul Chahar (1/43) pulled things back for Mumbai, removing Philippe, who was stumped by Quinton De Kock.

Skipper Virat Kohli (9) perished early as Royal Challengers slipped to 95 for 2, but Padikkal continued his onslaught against Chahar, hammering a six and two fours, as they got 16 runs in the 15th over.

Padikkal, who hit another two boundaries off Chahar, completed his fifty with another four.

Mumbai then took four wickets in quick succession, removing AB De Villiers (15), Shivam Dube (2), Padikkal and Chris Morris (4), as the Royal Challengers slumped to 138 for 6.

Gurkeerat Mann scored a quick 14 but Mumbai, known for their effectiveness in the death, allowed Royal Challengers only 35 runs in the last five overs.