Twitter Reactions: RCB bowlers finally arrive to take the team home against MI

Royal Challengers Bangalore bowling finally arrived for the team and having failed to defend 205 they saved 167 against the Mumbai Indians today. Rohit Sharma called the right side at the toss in a game both teams desperately wanted to win. RCB have been playing at home, getting all the support from the home fans but weren’t quite able to put up a show they’d be proud of. Today, their bowlers were on the money, got the Yorkers right and it paid off with a win.

Batting first Manan Vohra who was promoted up the order did just what the team had asked of him. He played some really good shots and a few crackers to give the innings a head start. Quinton de Kock couldn’t do much and was replaced by Brendon McCullum at the crease who walked in ahead of the skipper Virat Kohli. The ball was turning square, the wicket was slow and McCullum didn’t mind, he only knows one way of playing his game and he continued to do that.

Vohra’s contribution was 45 from 31 balls and McCullum added 37 from 25. Skipper Kohli also played a few shots but didn’t look at his fluent best, the fact that the ball wasn’t coming on to the bat forced him to spend more time before eventually going for the shots. The moment he decided to the ball landed in the hands of the fielder. RCB were batting well for a total in the range of 180 but that’s when Hardik Pandya’s 18th over happened.

He ended with three wickets and turned the course of the game in favour of his side. But Colin de Grandhomme made most of Mitchell McClenaghan’s last over to score 24 runs and that took the team total to 167/7 in 20.

MI’s strength if any has been their batting. The openers Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav have been consistent, they’ve got the runs up on top but that was not the case tonight. Both Kishan and Yadav were dismissed for single-digit scores by RCB’s new-ball bowlers Tim Southee and Umesh Yadav. MI captain Rohit Sharma who hit a fifty against CSK to win the match for his team departed for a golden duck, dismissed by his India teammate Umesh.

JP Duminy scored 23 but couldn’t convert the start, Kieron Pollard who was brought back in the team failed and was out for 13. It was now upto the Pandya brothers Hardik and Krunal to take the team home.

RCB bowlers held their nerves, trusted the Yorkers and got it right. All the medium pacers including De Grandhomme, Southee, Umesh and Mohammad Siraj bowled in the blockhole and there were hardly any loose deliveries. Krunal was caught for 23 from 19 while Hardik scored a fifty but it didn’t matter in the end as he was dismissed in the 20th over and MI lost the match by 14 runs.

Here is how the fans reacted to the game on Twitter: