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Suryakumar Yadav was at his sensational best once again, smashing 83 (35b, 7x4, 6x6) as Mumbai Indians beat Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Wankhede Stadium.
Set a challenging 200 for victory, MI stormed home in 16.3 overs and won by six wickets. Nehal Wadhera, too, delivered a superb performance with the bat, hitting an unbeaten 52 off 34 balls. His knock was laced with four boundaries and three sixes. Earlier, RCB had done well to reach 199/6, thanks largely to skipper Faf du Plessis' 65 (41b, 5x4, 3x6) and Glenn Maxwell's 68 (33b, 8x4, 4x6). The win took MI to 12 points from 11 games and they now lie in third place in the 10-team table. On the other hand, RCB are in seventh place with 10 points from 11 games, and the race to the playoffs is hotting up. Former India pacer Zaheer Khan couldn't believe the ease with which Yadav dominated proceedings, saying on JioCinema: "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. This was the third time in IPL history that MI chased down a target of 190 runs or more in under 17 overs, the only team to have ever done so. Former India cricketer 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 on JioCinema. Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith remarked on JioCinema 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." (ANI)
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