MUMBAI, India (AP) — Royal Challengers Bengaluru broke their 10-year drought at Wankhede Stadium and beat Mumbai Indians by 12 runs in an Indian Premier League thriller on Monday.
Spinning allrounder Krunal Pandya grabbed three wickets in the last over to restrict Mumbai to 209-9 after Bengaluru’s strong total of 221-5.
Bengaluru was propped up by Virat Kohli (67), captain Rajat Patidar (64) and Jitesh Sharma’s unbeaten cameo of 40 off 19 balls.
Their total could have swelled but fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, coming back from injury, conceded only 29 runs off his four overs, and was the only Mumbai bowler to average less than 10 an over.
Mumbai threatened to chase down the total as captain Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma combined for 89 off 34 but they fell in the space of four balls at the death.
Bengaluru celebrated its first IPL win at Wankhede since 2015, and its third win in four games this season. Bengaluru, seeking its maiden IPL title, also beat Chennai Super Kings for the first time at Chepauk in 17 years.
Meanwhile, Mumbai lost its fourth game in five.
Hardik’s assault in vainMumbai struggled to 99-4 in 12 overs against disciplined pace bowling by Yash Dayal and Josh Hazlewood before Hardik counterpunched with a breezy knock of 42 off 15 balls.
Dayal clean-bowled Rohit Sharma (17) off his fourth delivery and Hazlewood successfully went for an lbw referral against Ryan Rickelton to drop Mumbai to 38-2 inside the power play.
Suryakumar Yadav hit five boundaries but consumed 26 balls in scoring 28 runs before Dayal dismissed him in the 12th over.
Hardik smashed four sixes and three boundaries in his brisk knock and put the chase back on track in a stunning stand with Varma.
Left-hander Varma raised his half-century off 26 balls before he was undone by Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s slower ball and was caught at deep point.
With 28 required off the last 12 balls, Hardik tried to smack Hazlewood’s full-pitched delivery on the on side but was cramped for room and caught by Liam Livingstone at midwicket.
Mitchell Santner lofted Hazlewood over cover for a six and reduced the target to 19 off the final over but Hardik’s older brother Krunal picked up three wickets.
Kohli sets up BengaluruKohli became the fifth batter to achieve 13,000 runs in Twenty20s as the Indian batting maestro set the tone for a challenging total by hitting eight fours and two sixes.
Kohli joined Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard of West Indies, Alex Hales of England and Shoaib Malik of Pakistan to the landmark in a brisk 91-run stand off 52 balls with left-hander Devdutt Padikkal, who scored a 22-ball 37.
Kohli welcomed Bumrah with a six on the on-side of the first ball he faced from the fast bowler before Bumrah hit the right lengths.
Hardik grabbed two wickets in one over just before the death overs when Kohli holed out at deep midwicket, and Liam Livingstone went without scoring when he miscued a scoop off the second ball he faced.
But Patidar and Sharma, who smashed four sixes and two boundaries, accelerated against Trent Boult (2-57) as the New Zealand left-arm fast bowler ended up with his most expensive figures in the IPL.
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