Mumbai Indians (MI) vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) – Match 48 – Review
Contents
Mumbai Indians (MI) have qualified for the playoffs as the top team after the league stage of the IPL 2020. They had 18 points, the most in this IPL, with 9 wins in 14 games. They will play the Qualifier-1 against Delhi Capitals (DC) placed second with 16 points and 8 wins in a bid to secure a spot for the grand IPL final on 10 November 2020. Mumbai Indians have been one of the most consistent teams this season and they look all set to go for their 5th IPL title.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have been in good form and with luck going their way in crucial encounters, RCB have secured 4th place in the points table to be eligible for the playoffs. They have 14 points after 7 wins in 14 games. They will be up against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) who have the same number of points as RCB but are placed 3rd because of a better run rate. These two will play the Eliminator 1 of the IPL 2020.
As the format of the tournament goes, MI and RCB have played with each other twice in the league stage of the IPL 2020. In the first match, these teams were tied at the end of both innings. RCB held their nerve to win the game in the Super Over. In the second game, MI comprehensively beat RCB chasing 166.
If MI loses the Qualifier-1 against DC and RCB wins the Eliminator against SRH, then these two teams will meet in the Qualifier-2. The winner of the match will proceed to the finals. Let’s take a look at the last game MI and RCB played against each other to get a glimpse of what might happen ahead if these two teams meet again.
MI vs RCB Match 48 – Review
Mumbai Indians (MI) faced Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the 48th Match of the IPL 2020. This was the second encounter between the two teams. The match was played at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on 28 October 2020.
In the absence of injured Rohit Sharma, Kieron Pollard led Mumbai Indians. He won the toss and elected to field first. Kolhi promoted Josh Philippe to the top alongside in-form Devdutt Paddikal. It looked like a bad decision for MI when the RCB openers put on 71 runs in just 7 odd overs. Rahul Chahar provided the first breakthrough when he got De Kock out stumped in the 8th over. Kohli and Padikkal took the score to 95 in the 12th over as RCB looked to build on this platform to go for a big score. However, Bumrah removed Kohli in the 12th over. De Villiers tried to up the tempo but holed out to deep square leg in the 16th over with 131 on the board. Some excellent bowling by Bumrah and Boult and RCB soon found themselves at 138 for 6 with about 3 overs to go. RCB managed another 26 runs to take the total to a respectable 164. The target was a fighting one but was clearly below the expectation given the conditions and the start RCB had earlier.
Mumbai Indians started the chase cautiously and scored at about run-a-ball in the powerplay. They believed in their batting strength and did not want to lose any early wickets. However, by the 11th over, they had lost 3 wickets with 72 runs thanks to a couple of wickets from Mohammed Siraj. MI were in a slight bother. Suryakumar Yadav, one of the best performers for Mumbai this season, took the matter in his own hands and tried to accelerate the scoring. He along with Pandya brothers took MI close to the target and eventually got them over the line with 5 balls to spare.
Match Analytics and Highlights
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)
For RCB, Devdutt Padikkal was the best scorer with 74 runs off 45 balls with 12 fours and a six. He was followed by the opening partner, Josh Philippe, with 33 off 24 deliveries with 4 fours and a six.
In the bowling department, Mohammed Siraj was the most efficient of the bowlers with 2 wickets in 3.1 overs for 28 runs at an economy rate of 8.84. Yuzvendra Chahal, the top bowler for RCB this season, also picked up 2 wickets for 37 runs in 4 overs at an economy rate of 9.25.
Mumbai Indians (MI)
For MI, Suryakumar Yadav stole the show in the batting department with 79 off just 43 deliveries. With 10 fours and 3 towering sixes, he managed to get a strike rate of above 183. He remained not out in the end as he took MI over the line. He was named the Man Of the Match. Ishan Kishan was the second-best with 25 runs off 19 deliveries.
In bowling, as usual, MI were reliant on Jasprit Bumrah, who broke the back of RCB’s middle order. Bumrah took 3 wickets for 14 runs in 4 overs. He bowled a maiden and had an astonishing economy rate of 3.50 per over. His wickets in the middle overs helped MI restrict RCB to a below-par score.
Summary
MI and RCB have so far played 29 matches in the history of the IPL with MI winning 19 and RCB winning just 10 of them. MI’s winning percentage is more than 65%, while RCB’s winning percentage is around 35%. If they meet again this season in the Qualifier-2, it is most likely that MI will win the match against RCB.
MI have been phenomenal this season as well with the most number of wins. They bat deep and have a very lethal bowling attack led by Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult. For RCB to have any chance of winning this game, they would have to rely on the Kohli-De Villiers duo along with in-form Devdutt Padikkal. They have Chahal in the spin department but lack firepower in pace to match with that of MI. It’s without a doubt that if they meet again, it’s going to be a cracker of a contest.
