(Cricket News) A daunting 200 was set as the target, but MI sprinted home in 16.3 overs and won by six wickets. With the bat, Nehal Wadhera also put out a tremendous display, scoring an undefeated 52 off just 34 balls. He hit three sixes and four boundaries in his knock.
Earlier, the RCB had performed admirably to achieve 199/6, in large part because of captain Faf du Plessis’ 65 (41b, 5×4, 3×6) and Glenn Maxwell’s 68 (33b, 8×4, 4×6).
With the victory, MI now has 12 points after 11 games, placing them third in the 10-team standings. However, RCB sits in seventh place with 10 points after 11 games, and the playoff race is getting more competitive.
JioCinema TATA IPL expert Zaheer Khan couldn’t believe the ease with which Yadav dominated proceedings, saying: “They need to hold his bat from behind or hold his legs, he’s been batting like that. There was a tough phase but when he found his rhythm, the good became even better. This will never be good news for the bowlers.”
“The way he bats and the way he approaches it, no field placement can help them. Every time I see them play, it seems like the bowlers are trying to bowl outside the off-stump, pack the side with four players, and SKY is still hitting fours and you cannot stop this,” added the former India paceman.
The only side to have ever done so, MI, chased down a target of 190 runs or more in under 17 overs on three separate occasions in TATA IPL history.
JioCinema TATA IPL expert Suresh Raina credited the winning culture prevalent in the team for this comeback after a slow start to the season. “Suryakumar Yadav’s celebration showed how easily a team can chase down 200 runs. He’s in great form and it reminds us that MI know how to chase targets and come back. They’ve won the trophy five times and they have a match-winner in their locker room every year. Whether it’s Tilak Varma, Wadhera, Greene, Tim David, and the biggest is Piyush Chawla. He always bowls in important moments to get MI wickets. This is the reason why they dominate the IPL. Rising from 8th to 3rd in the standings is not something every team can do,” said Raina.
Another JioCinema TATA IPL expert Graeme Smith remarked on the impact the two points can have for MI. “We’ve talked about the importance of two points tonight. MI, I was just thinking, I can’t remember them playing a great game this season, but, somehow they found themselves in third position on the log. Tonight’s two points were key. They had to chase 200 and the bowlers looked out of sorts. But tonight, there were a number of positives for them. Catching needs to improve but the second half with the ball is where they won the game. They’re a great chasing team, strong batting unit, and they showed their dominance with some excellent performances.”
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