Mumbai Indians dominated Royal Challengers Bengaluru in a one-sided affair at the Wankhede stadium, April 11, 2024.
The dew-laden evening favoured batting and RCB's bowlers were no match for a rampant Mumbai side.
Earlier, Jasprit Bumrah spearheaded the MI demolition with a season-defining performance. His unplayable spell of 5/21 showcased pinpoint accuracy and a deadly mix of fiery yorkers and sharp bouncers.
In contrast, RCB lacked a bowling hero. Their inconsistencies throughout the season reached a new low on Thursday night.
Mumbai capitalised on the favourable conditions, chasing 197 with remarkable ease.
Jasprit Bumrah
Bumrah delivered a spell for the ages, dismantling the RCB batting with a magnificent five-wicket haul for just 21 runs. His performance was a showpiece in accurate seam bowling, showcasing both fiery yorkers and sharp bouncers.
Early on, Bumrah struck a crucial blow by dismissing the in-form Virat Kohli for 3 runs. This extended Kohli's poor run at the Wankhede stadium in the IPL.
Bumrah continued his dominance throughout the innings, returning with the old ball to break the back of RCB's resistance.
In a single over, Bumrah removed both Faf du Plessis (61) and Mahipal Lomror (0). Du Plessis misplayed a hard low full-toss, while Lomror was trapped lbw by a yorker. Bumrah nearly achieved a hat-trick in his next over, bouncing out Saurav Chauhan and Vyshak Vijaykumar in quick succession.
This exceptional bowling display silenced RCB's hopes for a competitive total.
Even a dewy night couldn't hamper Bumrah's effectiveness, making his performance all the more remarkable.
He revealed in a post-match interview that he noticed slight assistance from Mohammed Nabi's first over, prompting him to focus on hitting hard lengths with pace. This strategy proved devastating, dismantling RCB's batting order.
Bumrah's five-wicket haul earned him praise from his former captain Rohit Sharma and Bowling Coach Lasith Malinga, solidifying his position as unplayable in this IPL season.
Shreyas Gopal
Shreyas Gopal was one of the unsung heros of the match for Mumbai Indians on Thursday, chipping in with 1-32, which may seem a tad expensive given the economy of 8 per over.
His crucial wicket of Glenn Maxwell for a duck was instrumental in tipping the scales in MI's favour as he kept the batters on their toes and constantly guessing for the entirely of his spell.
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