IPL 2022, Match 18 RCB vs MI, Stats Review: Anuj Rawat’s maiden half-century, MI’s unwanted record, and other stats

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) opening batter Anuj Rawat slammed his maiden half-century while Waninidu Hasaranga and Harshal Patel were the star performers with the ball as they defeated the Mumbai Indians (MI) by seven wickets in Match 18 of IPL 2022 at the MCA Stadium in Pune. Rawat scored 66 runs off 47 deliveries which included two fours and six maximums with spinner Hasaranga and Harshal bowling outstanding spells of 2/28 and 2/23 respectively.

Talking about how the encounter unfolded, Faf du Plessis won the toss and RCB decided to field first. They made one change with Australian Glenn Maxwell returning and replacing Sherfane Rutherford. Strugglers MI made two changes as they replaced Tymal Mills and Daniel Sams with Jaydev Unadkat and Ramandeep Singh respectively. Openers Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma both amassed 26 runs apiece as young Dewald Brevis managed only eight runs. Tilak Varma and Kieron Pollard both got out for ducks with Suryakumar Yadav then came into his own. The stylish right-handed batter smashed an unbeaten 68 runs off just 37 deliveries with five fours and six sixes to hit back-to-back fifties. He took MI to a respectable total of 151/6 in the 20 overs.

Chasing 152, captain Du Plessis and Rawat shared another 50 runs opening stand, their third of the campaign. The former fell for 16 runs but Rawat continued his solid batting display as he was joined by Virat Kohli who mustered a fluent knock of 48 runs off 36 balls with five fours. Rohit Sharma and his men have now lost four matches in a row this season as RCB with six points moved to number three in the table. MI occupied the penultimate position while CSK hit the rock bottom. For his match-winning and eye-catching half-century, Anuj Rawat was declared Player of the Match.

Meanwhile, here are some of the important stats and numbers from Match 18 between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League 2022:

 200 – Suryakumar Yadav appeared in his 200^th T20 match.

154 – Suryakumar completed the milestone of 150 sixes in the T20 matches.

3 – Anuj Rawat and Faf du Plessis registered the third 50 run opening partnership this IPL season, which is the most by any pair. KL Rahul with Quinton de Kock and Rohit Sharma with Ishan Kishan have done it twice.

554 – Virat Kohli completed 550 fours in the IPL. He became the second batter to achieve the feat after Shikhar Dhawan (668).

4 – MI have now lost each of their first four matches in an IPL season for the fourth time. They got defeated in the first four games in 2008, 2014, and 2015.

3 – RCB recorded the joint-third lowest powerplay score (30) without losing a wicket in the IPL. They also scored as many runs against Pune Warriors India (PWI) in 2013. PWI managed 27 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2013 and MI 29 runs against Rajasthan Royals in 2008.

3 – MI fielded only two overseas players in the playing XI which is only the third instance in IPL history. Kolkata Knight Riders against Chennai Super Kings in 2011 and Delhi Capitals against Mumbai Indians this season are the other two instances.

1 – Kohli became the first batter to smash 550 fours and 200 sixes in the league.

1 – Kohli has now batted in 29 innings against MI which is the most he has against any opponent in the IPL. He has batted in 28 innings against Punjab Kings.