Kohli knows this is not a big target. He is busy giving pep talk to his teammates in a huddle. Binny has the new ball, MUM captain will take the strike. Fly slip in the form of Gayle, who seems to be happy with any position that does not require him to move much
"I guess we know what we want to do. The important thing was to start well. I think the boys came to the party. It is more about the fielding positions on such grounds, if you want to restrict teams to a chaseable total," says McClenaghan as Darren Sammy hands him the purple cap.
Gayle displaced Rahul as the opener but latter's fifty redeemed BLR's top-order which looked too stunned to score on a sloth pitch. With Kohli and Gayle gone early, de Villers shelved his attacking instincts before succumbing to it on 24. An ominous-looking Watson was bettered by a Rohit-inflicted run out - and all of the team fielded well tonight - but just when Mumbai could get complacent, Sachin Baby fired a volley of shots to perhaps now comfortably hold onto his Sarfraz-vacated spot in the team. 151 might, and I say might, just be a total that defies Chinnaswamy tonight. Join us back for the chase!
19.6 -
McClenaghan to Rahul, 2 runs, Rahul backs away and mistimes the swing on this slower delivery towards deep square leg for a couple. This is the lowest total on this ground in this season of the T20 League
19.5 -
McClenaghan to Sachin Baby, 1 run, oh unlucky for Baby. He did everything right this time, crouched low and lapped it after taking on full, ended up hitting it straight to the fielder at short fine leg
19.4 -
McClenaghan to Rahul, leg byes, 1 run, this time McClenaghan succeeds in foxing Rahul. Bowls it on the pads after seeing Rahul back away, off Rahul's pads towards fine leg
19.4 -
McClenaghan to Rahul, wide, Rahul was moving towards leg-side a bit, McClenaghan tried to follow but ended up hurling it down the leg-side, called a wide
19.3 -
McClenaghan to Rahul, SIX, Rahul is injured but he is playing like a lone wolf, making use of everything that is coming his way. Moved outside his crease and clipped it over the fine leg fence, the ball just about cleared the fence there
19.2 -
McClenaghan to Sachin Baby, 1 run, the bowlers have Baby sorted. They know where to bowl to him, full and wide of off, Baby inside edges the drive towards keeper, was not away from the stumps though
19.1 -
McClenaghan to Rahul, leg byes, 1 run, pacy length ball on the pads of Rahul, he does not connect with the swing. The ball ricochets off his pad to short third man
Mitchell McClenaghan [3.0-0-24-1] is back into the attack
Third man up, fine leg back
18.6 -
Bumrah to Rahul, leg byes, 1 run, brilliant stuff from Bumrah, Rahul had no idea where his attempted heave went. It came off his pad and went towards short third man, Sachin Baby was already in the run and an injured Rahul had to respond, the throw was off target and he managed to limp to the other end
18.5 -
Bumrah to Rahul, 2 runs, another full delivery, Rahul keeps himself away from the line of the delivery and drills it wide of Southee at long-off
18.4 -
Bumrah to Sachin Baby, 1 run, how good he is with those! Another yorker length delivery outside off, Baby jams the drive to long-off
Bumrah wants some changes in the field
18.3 -
Bumrah to Rahul, 1 run, low full tosses are no less than yorkers. Rahul cleared his front leg and mistimes the drive to long-off
18.2 -
Bumrah to Sachin Baby, 1 run, this is the kind of death bowling you should do. Yorker outside off, Baby cannot do much despite clearing his front leg, drills it to long-off
18.1 -
Bumrah to Rahul, leg byes, 1 run, Bumrah is not that easy to be put away. Bowls a low full toss outside off seeing Rahul move across to lap it fine. Rahul got it off his pad towards point for an extra
Jasprit Bumrah [3.0-0-23-0] is back into the attack
17.6 -
Pollard to Sachin Baby, FOUR, and that's the icing on the cake. Slower back of a length delivery, Baby pulls across and beats Bhajji's dive at the deep mid-wicket fence. 23 runs off the over
17.5 -
Pollard to Sachin Baby, SIX, Pollard decided to pitch it full this time, did not help the cause though. Baby cleared his front leg and lofted it over the long-on fence, Southee was interested there, might have tipped it over the fence
17.4 -
Pollard to Sachin Baby, SIX, this is the over the hosts needed. Good length is not good any more, Baby swings across and thrashes it over the deep mid-wicket fence
17.3 -
Pollard to Sachin Baby, no run, again Baby is far away from the line of the delivery, fullish ball outside off, Baby cannot squeeze it out
17.2 -
Pollard to Rahul, leg byes, 1 run, Rahul was trying to move towards the leg-side, Pollard followed him with a length ball, the ball rolls off his pad towards backward square leg
17.1 -
Pollard to Rahul, SIX, welcome to Bangalore Mr Pollard. Bowls a back of a length delivery, did not have pace behind it, Rahul swung across and put it over the deep backward square leg fence
Kieron Pollard, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
Three overs to go. Finally BLR have crossed the 6-per over run-rate. But they need much more than this. And now Pollard is here. Has a bowler bowled two consecutive overs today?
16.6 -
Southee to Sachin Baby, no run, slower delivery outside off slanted across, there's no way Baby could have fetched the swing with the shape he was in. Does not even connect with the shot
16.5 -
Southee to Sachin Baby, no run, this time though Southee went full outside off, Baby got across and was trying to clear mid-off, jammed the drive into the ground and towards the fielder there
16.4 -
Southee to Rahul, 1 run, Southee is not afraid to keep them short. Another one which is not full by any means, Rahul pulls off the inner part of the bat to deep mid-wicket
16.3 -
Southee to Sachin Baby, 1 run, attempts the similar shot but this time there was not enough pace on the ball. Gets an inside edge that rolls towards backward square leg
16.2 -
Southee to Sachin Baby, FOUR, that's not bad! That's awesome in fact. Waited for the back of a length delivery and swung across the line to beat long-on to his right, one bounce and over the ropes
16.1 -
Southee to Rahul, 1 run, fifty for Rahul. Another one this season. Southee tried to go for the yorker, ended up serving a half-volley on his legs, Rahul clips it to deep mid-wicket
Tim Southee [3.0-0-20-1] is back into the attack
15.6 -
Bumrah to Sachin Baby, no run, this is not how you face the first delivery of your innings. Backed away too much and was left too far away from this fuller length delivery which was angled across him
15.5 -
Bumrah to Rahul, 1 run, drills this fullish delivery straight to long-off for a single
15.4 -
Bumrah to Rahul, 2 runs, and Rohit almost effected the second run out, low full toss outside off and Rahul drives straight to him at extra cover. But this time Rohit missed the throw and since there was no one backing up, they get an extra as well
Sachin Baby, left handed bat, comes to the crease
15.3 -
Bumrah to Watson, out Watson Run Out!! And the captain sends Watson back. He is not even in the frame, that will save some time. Bumrah went full outside off and Watson jammed the drive towards Rohit at extra cover, who picked it up and threw in one motion, hit the bull's eye and the Aussie has to go back. This is a big wicket at this moment as Watson had started to open up. Watson run out (Rohit) 15(14) [4s-1 6s-1]
Bumrah to Watson, THAT'S OUT!! Run Out!!
15.2 -
Bumrah to Watson, SIX, was it a slower delivery? Does not really matter for it has been dispatched off the sight. Watson read it well and thumped it over the long-on fence, second tier hit
15.1 -
Bumrah to Rahul, 1 run, serves a low full toss first up, Rahul drives to the right of sweeper cover
Jasprit Bumrah [2.0-0-13-0] is back into the attack
The yorker man is here. Bumrah comes back
14.6 -
McClenaghan to Rahul, 1 run, looked like another cutter outside off, Rahul pats it softly towards sweeper cover and will have the strike for the next over
14.5 -
McClenaghan to Rahul, FOUR, this will get him going. Slower short ball from the Kiwi, Rahul had to wait a bit on the pull, but that actually worked for him as it went towards deep square leg. Had he played that early, it would have gone to deep mid-wicket instead
14.4 -
McClenaghan to Rahul, SIX, this is how he answers McClenaghan, fullish ball outside off and Rahul clears his front leg like most of these batters do, muscles it over the long-off fence
14.3 -
McClenaghan to Rahul, no run, he is down. Fortunately, he is not hurt, short ball angled across Rahul, who wanted to steer it after swaying away, the ball was too close to him and hit him on the gloves. In the process Rahul lost his balance, recovered in time though
14.2 -
McClenaghan to Rahul, FOUR, finally something off Rahul's bat, fine leg was inside the ring and it helped. Short ball and Rahul was late on the pull, begot a top edge which flew over the fielder there
14.1 -
McClenaghan to Rahul, no run, off-pace shortish ball and Rahul goes for the wild heave, does not connect. Was lucky that the ball did not graze his off-stump
Mitchell McClenaghan [2.0-0-9-1] is back into the attack
With Rahul injured, Watson has to do the majority of hitting. But he is not in a great form and this might compound miseries for the host
13.6 -
Southee to Rahul, 1 run, Southee finally goes full, on the pads of Rahul, clips it to deep backward square leg
13.5 -
Southee to Rahul, no run, off-pace short delivery and it did Rahul, could only manage to chop it off the inner part of the bat towards extra cover
13.4 -
Southee to Rahul, no run, Rahul tries to emulate his partner, but ends up backing away too far, the ball was short and he thought it was better to leave it than try anything fancy
13.3 -
Southee to Watson, 1 run, another pull from Watson after backing away, did not time it well again, sends to deep mid-wicket
13.2 -
Southee to Watson, FOUR, this is the problem with fast outfield, it becomes too cruel for the bowlers. Shortish ball around off, Watson backs away and mistimes the slap, Pollard from long-off gave it all but the effort was not enough to prevent it from crossing the fence
13.1 -
Southee to Rahul, 1 run, hits the back of a length and Rahul waits, tucks around the corner and limps to the other end
Tim Southee [2.0-0-13-1] is back into the attack
BLR take the strategic time-out as soon as it is made available. Southee comes back. Rahul takes the leg-stump guard
12.6 -
Krunal Pandya to Rahul, 1 run, darted outside off, patted gently through the covers
12.5 -
Krunal Pandya to Rahul, no run, a muffled appeal as Rahul misses a paddled sweep and is hit on the front pad but he had done well to plant his leg outside off stump
12.4 -
Krunal Pandya to Watson, 1 run, a blazing drive to long-on. He hit that one in the air and it absolutely raced to the fielder
12.3 -
Krunal Pandya to Watson, no run, oh that's missed leg-stump by a whisker! Watson had been bowled in the previous game trying to pull a ball which wasn't that short and he nearly repeats the same mistake. Almost shaves leg-stump
12.2 -
Krunal Pandya to Watson, no run, tries for a paddled sweep but doesn't account for the extra bounce and the ball gets wedged into the front pad off the glove
12.1 -
Krunal Pandya to Rahul, 1 run, worked down the ground to long-on
What BLR have put up on the board so far is really underwhelming by Chinnaswamy standards. But the pitch is slower than normal and it's certainly two paced..
11.6 -
Harbhajan to Rahul, 1 run, driven firmly wide of Rohit at cover who flits back and dives to stop. Mumbai have been on top of their game, both bowling and fielding wise
11.5 -
Harbhajan to Rahul, no run, again, Bhajji knows what's going on. He's perfectly anticipating when Rahul will charge at him. Drops it short and Rahul mistimes the cover-drive off the splice to .. well .. cover
11.4 -
Harbhajan to Watson, 1 run, rests on the back foot and tucks it with the turn through mid-wicket
There's a stoppage in play with Rahul experiencing some discomfort. Replays of the previous ball reveal that Rahul twisted his ankle slightly and hobbled across to the non-striker's end. It's all well and good now after some medical attention.
11.3 -
Harbhajan to Rahul, 1 run, hoodwinks an advancing Rahul by firing it short, Rahul tries to adjust by flicking it away but there isn't any turn and the ball skids on to catch a thick leading edge through the covers
11.2 -
Harbhajan to Watson, 1 run, waits on the shortish ball and late-cuts it to backward point
11.1 -
Harbhajan to Watson, no run, loopy off-break on the stumps, defended circumspectly from the crease
10.6 -
Krunal Pandya to Watson, 1 run, this time he plants a giant stride forward and eases it to long-off
10.5 -
Krunal Pandya to Watson, no run, patted towards backward point
10.4 -
Krunal Pandya to Watson, no run, lures Watson forward with the flight and denies him the length to smother the ball. Tamely pushed back down the pitch
10.3 -
Krunal Pandya to Watson, no run, darted in on off stump, slides on rapidly from a shortish length, Watson has to hurry to get his bat down and chops it into the pitch
10.2 -
Krunal Pandya to Rahul, 1 run, fired on the pads, flicked firmly to deep backward square
Shane Watson, right handed bat, comes to the crease
10.1 -
Krunal Pandya to de Villiers, out Caught by Rayudu!! And now, BLR are in a soup. Their three GUN players are back in the hutch. A near half-tracker has done the trick for Pandya, and when AB gets out to one of these, you know it's your day. AB camps back looking to pull it in the stands but ends up top-edging it in the air. Rayudu runs forward and to his left from deep mid-wicket and hangs on to it despite being on the move. de Villiers c Rayudu b Krunal Pandya 24(27) [4s-1 6s-1]
Krunal Pandya to de Villiers, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
Krunal Pandya [2.0-0-10-0] is back into the attack
9.6 -
Harbhajan to Rahul, 2 runs, now Rahul with the reverse sweep. Drags himself outside off to negate the LBW if at all he misses, then hits it square of the wicket for a brace
9.5 -
Harbhajan to de Villiers, 1 run, oh a ravishing cover-drive which goes straight to deep cover
9.4 -
Harbhajan to Rahul, 1 run, tossed up on the stumps, flicked through mid-wicket
9.3 -
Harbhajan to de Villiers, 1 run, tucked away off the hips through square leg
9.2 -
Harbhajan to de Villiers, no run, fingertips! Bhajji got fingertips on this but couldn't cling on! Excellent dip on the off-break which made AB reach out for it, still couldn't get to the pitch and bunted it softly in the air to Bhajji's left who put in a stupendous dive but couldn't hold on
9.1 -
Harbhajan to de Villiers, SIX, AB has decimated this over cow corner! Nothing elegant about it. Just lined up for the heave, got the length he wanted and brutalized it in the air
8.6 -
Bumrah to Rahul, FOUR, special. That's a special stroke. Fullish outside off, Rahul deliberately presents an angled bat and marinades it inside out over extra-cover to leave Bumrah scratching his head
8.5 -
Bumrah to de Villiers, 1 run, excellent work from deep mid-wicket to rush in from the fence and release the ball quickly. Denied the second run
8.4 -
Bumrah to Rahul, 1 run, plants an open bat-face on this one and skims it down to third man
8.3 -
Bumrah to Rahul, no run, back of a length delivery outside off, patted into the off-side
8.2 -
Bumrah to Rahul, SIX, that's completely come out of nowhere! All of a sudden, Rahul decides to break the shackles. Picks a length ball and flogs it behind square with a clean swipe. He hit that one sweet and got the crowd on its feet
8.1 -
Bumrah to Rahul, no run, flicked with Bumrah's acute angle to mid-wicket
Jasprit Bumrah [1.0-0-1-0] is back into the attack
7.6 -
Harbhajan to Rahul, 1 run, lots of overspin on the ball which extracts that extra bounce, takes a thick outside edge and dribbles away to short third man
7.5 -
Harbhajan to Rahul, no run, oh so nearly! Rahul had been duped after coming down the track as Bhajji darted it short. He has to take the defensive course but errs in that as well as he bunts it softly in the air. Doesn't quite carry to the bowler who was impeded by the non-striker too
7.4 -
Harbhajan to de Villiers, 1 run, skips down the track and punches a single to long-on
7.3 -
Harbhajan to Rahul, 1 run, swept away neatly to deep square leg. Nice trajectory from Bhajji, keeping it slow through the air
7.2 -
Harbhajan to de Villiers, 1 run, now he deliberately jams the reverse sweep into the turf but can only pick a single as short third man flits across and dives
7.1 -
Harbhajan to de Villiers, no run, forced with the turn to mid-wicket
Harbhajan Singh, right-arm off break, comes into the attack
We'll have our first strategic time-out! I wonder whether it's the ball stopping on the batsmen which has drawn out those false strokes and kept them subdued. Either which way it is, Mumbai are right on top here.
6.6 -
Krunal Pandya to de Villiers, 1 run, drops it slightly short and is swatted down to long-on
6.5 -
Krunal Pandya to Rahul, 1 run, preferring to stay on the back foot here, is Rahul. Punches it through mid-wicket
6.4 -
Krunal Pandya to de Villiers, 1 run, slightly slower through the air but held back in flight, AB presents the full face and pushes it down to long-off
6.3 -
Krunal Pandya to Rahul, 1 run, nudged through the on-side
6.2 -
Krunal Pandya to de Villiers, 1 run, flicked with the angle through mid-wicket, not much turn when Pandya fires it in
6.1 -
Krunal Pandya to Rahul, 3 runs, Rahul creates some width for himself and cuts it from off-stump. Risky but not out of place as the length was short. Laces it past backward point, and McClenaghan puts in a stunning effort running across from sweeper cover to haul it in with a dive
5.6 -
McClenaghan to de Villiers, no run, nice, nice. The batsmen are being kept on their toes here. Hostile bouncer which rises steeply, AB thinks of a pull but then bails out and crouches
5.5 -
McClenaghan to Rahul, 1 run, skiddy back of a length delivery outside off, Rahul chops it off a thick under-edge in front of backward point
5.4 -
McClenaghan to Rahul, no run, that's a ludicrous stroke given the circumstances. Rahul backs away while giving the charge, tries to flay it over the off-side but McClenaghan had pounded the pitch hard and produced extra bounce to fizz over the flashing willow
5.3 -
McClenaghan to Rahul, no run, hits the bat hard from a back of a length as Rahul defends
5.2 -
McClenaghan to de Villiers, 1 run, jumps back in the crease to ride the bounce of a short of length delivery and nudges it into the on-side
5.1 -
McClenaghan to de Villiers, FOUR, this is too easy for a man of AB's class. Half-volley outside off and he dismisses it from his presence with a scorching extra-cover drive
Mitchell McClenaghan [1.0-0-3-1] is back into the attack
4.6 -
Krunal Pandya to de Villiers, 1 run, fired into the pads, clipped through mid-wicket
4.5 -
Krunal Pandya to Rahul, 1 run, slower through the air which enables Pandya to get some turn outside off, Rahul waits on it on the front foot and cleverly dabs it with an open bat-face in front of short third man
4.4 -
Krunal Pandya to Rahul, no run, firmer punch off the back foot but is still not able to find the gap
4.3 -
Krunal Pandya to Rahul, no run, goes slightly shorter with this one and darts it towards leg, Rahul slides back in the crease and softly punches to cover
4.2 -
Krunal Pandya to Rahul, no run, Rahul runs down at Pandya who smartly darts it shorter and restricts him to a pat back down the pitch
4.1 -
Krunal Pandya to Rahul, no run, drifts it in from round the wicket, no turn at all as the ball slides on from a length, Rahul prods forward in defence
Krunal Pandya, left-arm orthodox, comes into the attack
Spin brought on early..
3.6 -
Southee to de Villiers, no run, gets a slight inside edge onto pad while trying to work it through the on-side
3.5 -
Southee to de Villiers, no run, length ball outside off, driven on the up to cover
Lokesh Rahul, right handed bat, comes to the crease
3.4 -
Southee to Gayle, out Caught by Rohit!! Oh this is a chance. It's a real steepler this as Gayle mistimes the lofted drive. Rohit takes a few steps back from mid-off, looks composed under the ball as it keeps swirling in the air and pouches it safely. Another failure for Chris Gayle whose T20 League keeps turning from bad to worse. He lost his mind upon seeing the ball land as full as it did, tried to fetch it from outside off and sliced it off the bottom of the bat. Excellent start from the Mumbai. BLR's two top guns have been disarmed. Gayle c Rohit b Southee 5(6) [4s-1]
Southee to Gayle, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
3.3 -
Southee to Gayle, FOUR, now this one just drifts across with the arm and ends up as a half-volley outside off. As soon as Gayle's bat comes down from above his head, you know that it only has to make decent contact. Skims away through the covers
3.2 -
Southee to Gayle, no run, bending back in towards Gayle's pads, flicked with the swing to mid-wicket
3.1 -
Southee to de Villiers, 1 run, AB tries to go hard on the off-drive, the extended batswing suggests that he wanted to go over the field. But he loses his shape and swats it off the inside half in front of mid-on
Tim Southee [1.0-0-8-0] is back into the attack
Good start this from the Mumbai pacers. There's been only one boundary and that too was brought about by Kohli having to take a risk. Disciplined stuff..
2.6 -
Bumrah to de Villiers, 1 run, another one which makes AB hop back but this time he nudges it softly in front of mid-on to get to the other end
2.5 -
Bumrah to de Villiers, no run, pushes him back in the crease with a short of length delivery and induces a defensive shot
2.4 -
Bumrah to de Villiers, no run, low full toss outside off, driven to cover
2.3 -
Bumrah to de Villiers, no run, another shortish delivery but this one doesn't carry the width of the previous one, AB mistimes the flat-batted forehand to mid-off
2.2 -
Bumrah to de Villiers, no run, short and wide outside off, AB slashes it hard square on the off-side. Looked a certain boundary until Buttler threw himself to his left and cut it out before getting some pats from his teammates
2.1 -
Bumrah to de Villiers, no run, skiddy length ball angled in towards off, AB prods forward to defend
Jasprit Bumrah, right-arm medium, comes into the attack
Bumrah..
1.6 -
McClenaghan to Gayle, no run, McClenaghan rolls his fingers across this short of length delivery outside off, and it doesn't really bounce a great deal as a consequence. Gayle played inside the line of it expecting the ball to cut back in but it doesn't and skirts past the outside edge
1.5 -
McClenaghan to de Villiers, 1 run, short ball on the body, skids on a tad quicker than AB expects as he is rushed into the swivel but does well to roll the wrists on the pull to deep mid-wicket
1.4 -
McClenaghan to Gayle, 1 run, stands upright to a short of length delivery and tucks it through the square leg region
1.3 -
McClenaghan to Gayle, no run, rifled in on a fullish length around middle to find Gayle stuck on the crease in defence
1.2 -
McClenaghan to de Villiers, 1 run, fullish ball around off, AB nudges it softly in front of mid-on and sets off
AB de Villiers, right handed bat, comes to the crease
1.1 -
McClenaghan to Kohli, out Caught by Harbhajan!! McClenaghan strikes first ball to dismiss Kohli. An innocuous back of a length delivery slanted across off, did Kohli not spot Bhajji there at an unusual deep third slip position? He dabs it straight to him without bothering to keep it along the ground. What a blow early on! Kohli c Harbhajan b McClenaghan 7(7) [6s-1]
McClenaghan to Kohli, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
Mitchell McClenaghan, left-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
0.6 -
Southee to Kohli, 1 run, another one on the pads and flicked crisply, but there is protection at deep mid-wicket
0.6 -
Southee to Kohli, wide, that previous shot has messed Southee's line. He slants this one down leg and is wided
0.5 -
Southee to Kohli, SIX, take that! If I can't clear the fielders, I'll go over them. Kohli steps to leg while advancing, creates his own width and carves the outswinger over the covers. Looked to have got it off the bottom of the bat but it clears the ropes
0.4 -
Southee to Kohli, no run, four dots in a row. This has to be frustrating for Kohli who is hitting the fielders. Full ball curling away outside off, Kohli leans nicely into the drive but can't get it through the covers
0.3 -
Southee to Kohli, no run, risky. Closes the bat face too early on an outswinger and is lucky that the leading edge rolled all the way to mid-off
0.2 -
Southee to Kohli, no run, fullish again around off and this time Kohli decides to whip it to mid-on. Two handsome strokes for no run
0.1 -
Southee to Kohli, no run, it's a gentle outswinger on a fuller length and is sweetly driven to a diving cover. Big stride across from Kohli
Kohli and Gayle are at the crease. Kohli is on strike. Southee will open the attack
So, the points table reads as: Mumbai on 4th, Bangalore placed sixth. The latter will have to win all their games now, and as Kohli said, he will savor the challenge. After the Vizag blip, Mumbai's recoil that saw BLR conquered at home was nothing short of stunning. Gayle's selection dilemma is something I will have an ear for. Till tomorrow, Shabba Khair from Pratyush Sinha on behalf of Sagar Chawla, Abhishek Chaudhary and Venkatesh, our scorer. Ta-ta!
Krunal: "Really happy the way I bowled. I was varying the pace and the wicket was on the slower side, so let the batsman guess as to what I was bowling. Bangalore is a heavy scoring ground but after bowling a few balls, I got the idea that varying pace here is key. When I was not playing T20 League, my dream team was Mumbai. It's an honour to be a part and it feels good to contribute in whatever way I could."
Krunal Pandya is the Man of the Match
Rohit: "Shaking off the previous defeat was important. This win sets us up nicely on the table. We wanted to focus on our processes and we did our batting, bowling and fielding well. There was a hiccup but Buttler and Pollard finished well. Bangalore is always a high-scoring ground. We discuss a lot in our meeting and we wanted to execute all that. We did that today. We needed wickets to keep the runs down. Getting Kohli early was good. 150 odd was easy to chase here and we kept our nerve, and came out and expressed ourselves. I thought the surface was dry and slow, which is why we rotated our bowlers to not let them get used to it. The idea behind containing BLR was to not allow them to get used to one bowler. We have 3 games left and we will take it as it comes. The focus now is on the game against Punjab at Vizag. BLR are probably one of the best teams in T20 League and it brings the best out of you (on why they have a superior record over BLR at Chinnaswamy). Last game was a disaster and we wanted to prove a point."
Kohli: "We are literally playing knockouts now. We played really hard. We were not in the game till the 15th over. Sachin and Rahul gave us hope but too much to ask from bowlers here at Chinnaswamy. Credit to Mumbai - they bowled well, batted well. As long as my team is working hard, it's fine. We lost early wickets. I got caught inside the ring, something that never happens. Mumbai's spinners bowled very well, didn't give us any room and our opposition read the pitch better. Cricket cannot guarantee performances. We gave our 120 percent but couldn't win. It's not a game of ifs and buts. I love this situation (needing to win all the games). You have to go out there and make things happen. We have to win all the games and it's an exciting position to be in. Mumbai played that way last year and won it. We have the right kind of momentum to do that."
For BLR, Stuart Binny snuffed a stunner at deep cover to send Rana back to the hut. AB de Villiers too plucked a blinder to end Rayudu's sure-footed innings. Earlier, Lokesh Rahul's assuredness and Sachin Baby's breezy innings had ensured BLR would recover to a handy total on a track that was on the slower side.
Despite BLR dazzling and delighting the boisterous Bangalore crowd with their athletic fielding, they hurtled towards a gut-wrenching loss. It was Kieron Pollard who crunched a feisty 19-ball 35 to put MUM in the ascendancy. In the 17th over, he then plundered 15 runs off Watson's bowling. Pollard was well supported by Buttler who too cracked a few lusty blows. He along with Pollard applied the finishing touches.
18.4 -
Aaron to Buttler, SIX, there's the winning run and how symbolic is it that a full toss blows BLR away. Buttler was in the mood, sees a slice of kindness and slogs it over cow corner brutishly. Mumbai recover from their abysmal Visakhapatnam ghosts (Bangalore not from the bowling malady) and continue the charge over BLR at Chinnaswamy - they now lead six games to one over BLR, here at Chinnaswamy
18.3 -
Aaron to Pollard, 1 run, now sets things slightly right with a yorker length delivery on middle stump and Pollard digs it out to extra cover
18.3 -
Aaron to Buttler, no ball, 1 run, oh, the drama! The buzzers ring out! A high, high full toss - Buttler can thank the fingers rolled on it or else it could have popped a head or two out. Picked it up with a pull but was caught inches inside at deep mid-wicket. Free-hit!
18.2 -
Aaron to Buttler, no run, this is a good ball. Close to the tramline, yes, but it's off-pace on a length and stays low. Buttler had frozen feet, reaches out with a slap but misses. On the bounce to the keeper
18.2 -
Aaron to Buttler, wide, BLR are wide'ing their way to a loss. Another one well outside the tramline and Buttler arrested his shot to let it go
18.1 -
Aaron to Pollard, 1 run, kingpins his back heel, spindles around and toe-ends the pull to long-on
Varun Aaron [3.0-0-26-2] is back into the attack
17.6 -
Jordan to Buttler, SIX, whoa! That has hit the rope on the full. Buttler, you beauty. Just a full ball drifting across to pitch on leg-stump, Buttler winds up before you could wink and picks it up all the way to the deep mid-wicket fence. Mumbai are roaring to the target now. 10 needed off the last two
17.5 -
Jordan to Buttler, SIX, some magnanimity from Jordan and Buttler butchers him. A full toss, Buttler swings his bat and shoots the ball over long-on
17.4 -
Jordan to Pollard, 1 run, straight to Kohli at deep mid wicket. Parades this length delivery with a hoick but finds the fielder
17.3 -
Jordan to Buttler, 1 run, had backed away to see a full toss on off-stump, couldn't do much given his commitment and tamely wrists it to long-on
17.2 -
Jordan to Pollard, 1 run, pipes this wide yorker to third man with a crouch
17.1 -
Jordan to Buttler, 1 run, clubs this fullish delivery to long-on
Chris Jordan [2.0-0-21-0] is back into the attack
Mumbai need 26 runs off the last 3 overs. Can they? Can't they? Here's the Starc-replacing Messiah
16.6 -
Watson to Pollard, no run, now that's not a dud ball at all. Gets the yorker radar right, gets it to pitch very wide but thankfully inside the off tramline and beats Pollard-attemped-flog or whatever (nomenclature of shots in the end overs is tough, let me tell you)
16.6 -
Watson to Pollard, wide, oh my. Tries the wide yorker but curls it away. Given a wide
16.5 -
Watson to Pollard, FOUR, this is a mediocre over. Full toss, can you believe, and Pollard swings this with jerky wrists over backward square leg
16.4 -
Watson to Pollard, FOUR, that lucky! Looks to batter a shortish ball over mid-off, ekes out a top-edge that well eludes short third man and runs away between the fielder and the keeper
16.3 -
Watson to Buttler, 1 run, lets this slower delivery arrive on a length, hops to open up and siphons a single to third man
16.2 -
Watson to Pollard, 1 run, chips this to deep cover and runs to hand Buttler the strike
16.1 -
Watson to Pollard, SIX, "brute force," reckons Ravi Shasri on air. His change of bat is certainly helping. Not a bad ball at all. Length ball wide of off, reaches out and uses his long hands to loft it over long-off. That was Pollard's 400th T20 six
16.1 -
Watson to Pollard, wide, straightens his spine with the bounce on this bumper and holds the pull back. Zooming a touch higher over leg-stump, this bumper
This is getting tighter..
15.6 -
Aaron to Buttler, 2 runs, that, I think, doesn't quite carry. Buttler lofts but mistimes it off the toe end. Ends up in a slice, Binny is running in from deep cover, realizes that he won't get there but fails to put his body behind the ball. Runs through the ball, then turns back and collects. 44 runs req. off the last 4 overs
15.5 -
Aaron to Buttler, FOUR, that's outlandish. You know what, he wanted it scoop over fine leg, sees the width and makeshifts ingeniously. Opens himself up, swipes his heaven-facing blade horizontally and ramped it wide of the keeper to the third man fence
15.4 -
Aaron to Pollard, 1 run, stayed put and blaxes this full delivery away to long-off, with a drive
15.4 -
Aaron to Pollard, wide, 141ks bumper but an overdose of height on it. Pollard ducks and the square leg umpire signals it a wide
15.3 -
Aaron to Buttler, 1 run, jams this very fuller length into the pitch and the rebound defies a leaping Aaron
15.2 -
Aaron to Pollard, 1 run, cocks his wrists and tucks it to deep mid-wicket
Jos Buttler, right handed bat, comes to the crease
15.1 -
Aaron to Rayudu, out Caught by de Villiers!! Oh, just frame this catch already. This is from de Villiers' backpack of stunners. Rayudu mistimes this flat-batted heave over mid-on, AB comes running from the deep, dives forward, pouches it and executes a side-on somersault to recover. Rayudu c de Villiers b Aaron 44(47) [4s-2 6s-2]
Aaron to Rayudu, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
15.1 -
Aaron to Rayudu, wide, gets this short of length delivery to dart away, Rayudu flashes and misses, and is relieved to see the umpire with his arms stretched
Varun Aaron [2.0-0-15-1] is back into the attack
Time-out! Mumbai need 55 runs in 30 balls..
14.6 -
Watson to Pollard, no run, Watson lets out a puff of air to celebrate that play-and-a-miss. Shaves the tramline with this cutter, gets it to shoot off the pitch and beats Pollard's bat swing
Pollard has a change of his bat. Hmm
14.5 -
Watson to Rayudu, 1 run, waits for the off-pace back of a length delivery and delays his tuck to long-on
14.4 -
Watson to Pollard, 1 run, gets it bang halfway up the off-stump, Pollard makes room with a swayed away torso and digs it out to long-off
14.3 -
Watson to Pollard, no run, wide yorker length delivery, but his attempt to run it down to third man comes second. Fails to connect
14.2 -
Watson to Pollard, FOUR, that's a carnivorous cover drive. Sped away. Watson goes full outside off and Pollard punishes him with a blazing drive that shaves its way through the outfield
14.2 -
Watson to Pollard, wide, lovely ball as he rolls the wrists on that, beats Pollard's fetch-it flog but flirts it across the tramline
14.1 -
Watson to Pollard, SIX, that would shame a pancake. That flat. Swings his arms, grabs hold of this length ball and punishes it with a flat-bat over long-on
Shane Watson [1.0-0-7-0] is back into the attack
13.6 -
Aravind to Pollard, 1 run, gets a full toss, waits and then shovels it to long-on. Mumbai need 68 runs in 36 balls
13.5 -
Aravind to Rayudu, 1 run, skips out to mutate it into a full-fledged yorker and manages to squeeze the loft to long-on
13.4 -
Aravind to Pollard, 1 run, short ball ballooning off the turf, Pollard whips the pull to deep mid-wicket
13.3 -
Aravind to Rayudu, 1 run, gets a full ball following him but rubbers the shuffle across to drive this to long-off
13.2 -
Aravind to Rayudu, no run, loud appeal for a catch behind and Chinnaswamy boos. Too full, fails to squeeze out the backed-away drive but misses. The sound was bat hitting the ground
13.1 -
Aravind to Pollard, 1 run, tucks it to mid-wicket for a single
Sreenath Aravind [3.0-0-18-1] is back into the attack
Kieron Pollard, right handed bat, comes to the crease
12.6 -
Chahal to Nitish Rana, out Caught by Binny!! That's a stunner. Binny is the man at deep cover and boy, hasn't he delighted. Rana looks to devour the flight with a loft over cover, Binny was running across in the deep but doesn't find himself under the ball - finds it looping high over his left shoulder. Now come the acrobatics. Twists whilst off the ground and plucks it out of this Bengaluru air. Nitish Rana c Binny b Chahal 9(11) [6s-1]
Chahal to Nitish Rana, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
12.5 -
Chahal to Nitish Rana, 2 runs, uses the shortness in length with a swing over mid-wicket
12.4 -
Chahal to Rayudu, 1 run, picks it up from his pads all cramped and punches to long-on
12.3 -
Chahal to Rayudu, no run, drags the length back on seeing the shimmy, tossed it wider without compromising on the rips on the ball and deceives him. Rayudu looks to fetch it for a flat-bat heave, misses but makes his ground just in time. Third Umpire agreed
Stumping appeal. Rayudu is in...oops...looks in. To me.
12.2 -
Chahal to Rayudu, no run, dabs it to the right of Chahal and an excellent stop robs another run
12.1 -
Chahal to Rayudu, no run, that was a chance. Only if Gayle had quicker legs, he could have at least tried. Looked to slog-sweep this turning delivery, manages a top-edge that loops behind but alas
11.6 -
Aaron to Nitish Rana, no run, dipping full toss, Rana arrests his shuffle and taps it to mid-off
11.5 -
Aaron to Nitish Rana, SIX, that's soft. Short ball, Rana opens up seeing the width and ramps it all the way over third man
11.4 -
Aaron to Nitish Rana, no run, keeper went up immediately but nothing from Aaron. Shortish ball, Rana initially ducked but saw the underwhelming bounce and looked to wrist the ramp over the keeper. Fails to connect and the ball frisks something on its way to let that noise..
11.3 -
Aaron to Nitish Rana, no run, fullish and slow ball angled away, Rana clubs it down to mid-on
11.2 -
Aaron to Rayudu, 1 run, uses a high bat to meet this shortened length and runs it to mid-wicket
11.1 -
Aaron to Rayudu, SIX, that's been spaceship'd away! Fuller length on the stumps, Rayudu had the room made and lofts it straight down the ground. Wow
Mumbai need 89 runs in 54 balls
10.6 -
Chahal to Rayudu, 1 run, quicker delivery dragged down wide of off, Rayudu manages to slap it straight to deep cover in place
10.5 -
Chahal to Rayudu, no run, was looking to shuffle across, sees the ball turn away and hurries into it. Patted with a dead but open bat
10.4 -
Chahal to Nitish Rana, 1 run, gets further forward this time and drives this googly yo deep cover
10.3 -
Chahal to Nitish Rana, no run, bowls the googly this time, Rana is drawn into the angle and drives. Misses and the ball drops dead right in front of the keeper
10.2 -
Chahal to Rayudu, 1 run, gives this some air, gets it to turn too but Rayudu blunts all that with a fetching sweep. Had his wrists rolled over to let the ball channel away to deep mid-wicket
10.1 -
Chahal to Rayudu, no run, quicker delivery bunted in front of mid-off but Chahal doesn't let it reach there. Sprints across and stops
9.6 -
Aaron to Nitish Rana, no run, some width with the length shortened, Rana hops himself open and punches to backward point - where a dive stop a certain run
9.5 -
Aaron to Nitish Rana, no run, pushes this trapping fuller length delivery to mid-off off the front foot
9.4 -
Aaron to Nitish Rana, no run, gets a welcoming bumper and he ducks under it
Nitish Rana, left handed bat, comes to the crease
9.3 -
Aaron to Rohit, out Caught by de Villiers!! Rohit has given it away to hand Aaron his first wicket of this season. The bowler roars with his arms aloft and then screams with popping neck veins in Rohit's face. Just a tame length ball, forgive me, but Rohit wanted to mow it over long-on, gets it high on the bat and holes out to the (Super)man in the deep. Rohit c de Villiers b Aaron 25(24) [4s-3]
Aaron to Rohit, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
9.2 -
Aaron to Rayudu, 1 run, slow and full again, Rayudu pushes it straight to Kohli at mid-off this time
9.1 -
Aaron to Rohit, 1 run, that was stunning from Kohli. Sprints across from mid-off, gets hold of this drive with a dive and then clings to it despite getting dragged back with the momentum. Top class
Varun Aaron, right-arm fast, comes into the attack
Kritika informs that a 2-minute silence has been observed in the press box to mark Tony Cozier's demise. May he rest in peace..
8.6 -
Chahal to Rohit, 1 run, delays his push on this flipper and then has to stab it to long-off in time
8.5 -
Chahal to Rayudu, 1 run, not that full but still manages a crash down to long-off
8.4 -
Chahal to Rohit, 1 run, on a driving length and doped with some flight, Rohit drives off the front foot to long-off
8.3 -
Chahal to Rayudu, 1 run, pounds this flighted delivery with a sweep, pipes it to deep mid-wicket where the fielder collects the ricochet with a hop
8.2 -
Chahal to Rohit, 1 run, drags the length back, gets good bounce from leg to off and Rohit tucks it round the corner
8.1 -
Chahal to Rayudu, 1 run, drifts across full on leg-stump, Rayudu clips it to mid-wicket and aborts the idea of a couple
7.6 -
Jordan to Rohit, no run, this full delivery is driven off the front foot to the left of Jordan who fields
7.5 -
Jordan to Rayudu, 1 run, 50-run stand. On leg-stump, holds up to make the loft unintentionally uppish to long-on
7.4 -
Jordan to Rayudu, no run, pokes his front leg out and blocks this length ball back to Jordan
7.3 -
Jordan to Rohit, 1 run, turned off the pads to long-on again
7.2 -
Jordan to Rayudu, 1 run, let me hide somewhere. A full toss from Jordan on a free-hit and it goes unsevered. Dips for Rayudu to chop it into the pitch and rolls away to long-on
7.2 -
Jordan to Rohit, no ball, 1 run, nudged to mid-wicket but Jordan oversteps to hand Mumbai a free-hit
7.1 -
Jordan to Rohit, FOUR, pummels an overpitched delivery with a free swing of the arms. Picks it up with a lofted drive and cleaves it between extra cover and mid-off
Chris Jordan [1.0-0-12-0] is back into the attack
6.6 -
Chahal to Rayudu, no run, drifts this even wider, no way Rayudu is flirting with that (slip says hello!)
6.5 -
Chahal to Rayudu, no run, good bounce wide of off, Rayudu gets his front leg across and shoulders arms
6.4 -
Chahal to Rohit, 1 run, skips away, makes room and nudges this flipper to long-on
6.3 -
Chahal to Rayudu, 1 run, darted flatter, turns away (s)lowly and Rayudu widens his stance to clip it to mid-wicket
6.2 -
Chahal to Rohit, 1 run, drifts it across and gets it to turn a touch from leg, Rohit tucks it to square leg
6.1 -
Chahal to Rayudu, 1 run, slides on flatter on middle, Rayudu presses forward and bunts it to long-on
Yuzvendra Chahal, right-arm leg break, comes into the attack
A slip for Chahal
5.6 -
Aravind to Rayudu, 1 run, Rayudu waits and pats in front of short cover and hares to the other end. Will have the strike after the time-out
5.5 -
Aravind to Rayudu, no run, similar lines for Ambati too. He is not that fortunate though, cannot beat short cover
5.4 -
Aravind to Rohit, 1 run, Aravind has been fairly short, checks his length for Rohit too. He opens the face on punch and puts it in front of cover for a single
5.3 -
Aravind to Rayudu, 1 run, smart cricket from Rayudu, pats this softly in front of point and takes his throw, beats him
5.2 -
Aravind to Rayudu, SIX, he is done with those steers and dabs. Steps down and thrashes it uppishly over mid-off, hit it well and the ball cleared the fence with ease
5.1 -
Aravind to Rayudu, no run, three-quarter length outside off, Rayudu pats it towards point
Mumbai are going at exactly 6 runs per over and given that the target is not that big, they won't mind this start
4.6 -
Watson to Rayudu, 1 run, opens the blade a touch and then puhes it wide of point for an easy single
4.5 -
Watson to Rayudu, no run, goes for the good length around off and middle, Rayudu defends with an awkwardly angled bat
4.4 -
Watson to Rayudu, 2 runs, too straight and Rayudu won't mind, clips it wide of deep mid-wicket for a couple
4.3 -
Watson to Rayudu, FOUR, such shots should not fetch fours. This is heartbreaking for the bowlers. It was a back of a length delivery just outside off, Rayudu positioned himself on the pull, did not time it all. But the ball rocketed along the surface even as two fielders tried to haul it down
4.2 -
Watson to Rayudu, no run, hits the deck on a back of a length, Rayudu stands tall and defends back to the bowler
4.1 -
Watson to Rayudu, no run, that missed the edge, ok! But how did that miss the off-stick? Watson got it to straighten just outside off, Rayudu was almost opened up on the defence
Shane Watson, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
3.6 -
Aravind to Rayudu, 1 run, back of a length delivery around his waist high, Rayudu tucks around the corner and hares to the other end
3.5 -
Aravind to Rayudu, 2 runs, exceptional from ABD at extra cover, dives and saves a certain four. Hurls the throw at the bowler's end, where Rayudu was in. the ball deflected off the stumps and an overthrow ensued
3.4 -
Aravind to Rayudu, FOUR, mid-off is fairly wide and Aravind has faltered keeping that in mind. Bowls it too straight and all Rayudu had to do was present a full face of the bat on the drive to send it down to the long-off fence
3.3 -
Aravind to Rayudu, no run, we know, Kohli knows, the world knows that Rayudu likes to run it to third man. Which is why there is a fielder at gully to save those singles, length ball angled across, Rayudu steers it to the fielder at gully
3.2 -
Aravind to Rayudu, no run, hits the length again, Rayudu punches back to the bowler, who lets it slip towards mid-on
3.1 -
Aravind to Rayudu, no run, length ball aimed to be angled across, Rayudu gets across a bit to cover it. Defends back to the bowler. Kohli has persisted with a slip
2.6 -
Jordan to Rohit, no run, slowed down the pace a bit but as if Rohit knew about his cards. Waited and then drove, was not very fortunate with the gap though
2.5 -
Jordan to Rohit, no run, what is this? Jordan is lucky that this has not gone to the fence, another half-volley outside off, Rohit drives and finds extra cover
2.5 -
Jordan to Rohit, wide, this will release the pressure, wide again outside off, Sharma has no qualms in leaving those
2.4 -
Jordan to Rohit, FOUR, did not time it at all. But does not matter here, the ball tends to travel at this venue. Short ball outside off and Rohit fetched the pull from there, got it off the splice of the bat, falls just short of the deep square leg fence
2.4 -
Jordan to Rohit, wide, too short and more importantly very wide of off, Rohit does not budge
2.3 -
Jordan to Rohit, FOUR, oh beauty! As if ran his fingers through a strand of silk. Half-volley outside off and Rohit just opened the face a bit on the drive, bisected the field between cover and point with ease
2.2 -
Jordan to Rohit, no run, width on offer outside off, Rohit stands tall and cuts, cannot beat Gayle at point
2.1 -
Jordan to Rohit, 2 runs, short ball to start off, Rohit pulls off the front foot, like he always does. Did not time it well though, Chahal from deep mid-wicket ran to his left and cut it off
Chris Jordan, right-arm medium, comes into the attack
1.6 -
Aravind to Rayudu, no run, did this nip back? Certainly, but not much, Rayudu got his bat down in time as he defended towards Kohli at second slip
1.5 -
Aravind to Rayudu, no run, slanted across Rayudu, left alone. Two slips in place for Aravind. That's the kind of faith bowlers need these days
1.4 -
Aravind to Rohit, 1 run, on the pads of Rohit, he clips it to deep mid-wicket for a single
1.3 -
Aravind to Rayudu, 1 run, Rayudu gets into Rayudu mode, opens the face of the bat and dabs it to third man to get off the mark
1.2 -
Aravind to Rayudu, no run, angles it away from the new man, left alone
Ambati Rayudu, right handed bat, comes to the crease
Rayudu backs away, was not happy with something near the sight screen. Aravind has a laugh about it as he goes back. That wicket has earned him a slip closer to the wicket-keeper
1.1 -
Aravind to Parthiv Patel, out Caught by Watson!! Extra bounce has done the trick. What a start for Aravind, got this one to move away a bit after hitting the back of a length just outside off, the bounce was too much for Patel's liking who tried to force it towards the off-side, got a thickish outside edge that carried to Watto at a good height. In front of his face and he reverse cupped it in typical Aussie style. Parthiv Patel c Watson b Aravind 1(2)
Aravind to Parthiv Patel, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
Sreenath Aravind, left-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
0.6 -
Binny to Rohit, no run, some movement again for Binny, Rohit takes his time and then fends towards backward point. Parthiv Patel wanted a single but there was no way a run there
0.5 -
Binny to Rohit, no run, Binny just about shortened the length a bit, the line continued to be outside off. Rohit lets it go
0.4 -
Binny to Rohit, no run, length delivery just outside off, Rohit times the cover drive, cannot bisect the field though
Gayle has been take off slip, he is at mid-wicket now
0.3 -
Binny to Parthiv Patel, 1 run, Parthiv accounts for the angle and tucks it to short fine leg, back to Rohit
0.2 -
Binny to Rohit, 1 run, opens the face of the bat on this fuller length delivery this time, sends it past backward point for a single
0.1 -
Binny to Rohit, no run, length ball that changed its path after pitching, Rohit fences it towards backward point
Rohit and Parthiv Patel are at the crease. Rohit is on strike. Binny will open the attack