Royal Challengers Bangalore easily chased down 172 runs against Mumbai Indians with the help of Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis half centuries to register a thumping victory in fifth match of the tournament.
IPL 2023 Yesterday Match Result RCB Defeats MI
Ex-captain and current captain Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis have delivered Royal Challengers Bangalore the perfect homecoming with an 8-wicket thrashing of Mumbai Indians. Kohli smashed an unbeaten 82 while Du Plessis struck 73 as RCB chased down a 172-run target with 22 balls to spare. Earlier, Tilak Verma single-handedly rescued Mumbai Indians with a brilliant 46-ball 84 to help them post 171/7.
With Mohammed Siraj and Reece Topley bowling in tandem, RCB took early command with MI only posting 29/3 in powerplay. But as MI kept losing big wickets, Tilak held the innings together and blew RCB attack away. RCB were also dealt a big blow as Reece Topley has been ruled out of the game with a dislocated shoulder.
Chasing 172, Kohli (82 not out) and Du Plessis (73) produced an exhibition of sublime stroke-making. The duo plundered 10 boundaries and as many maximums during their near flawless 89-ball 148-run stand.
Their assault at the packed Chinnaswamy Stadium was enough to secure victory. However, there was a sudden dip. After Arshad Khan broke the stand, removing Du Plessis in the 15th over, Dinesh Karthik was promoted to get the job done quickly to get an NRR boost. However, the finisher could not finish things off as Cameron Green removed him in the next over for a three-ball duck.
But Kohli in a sublime form completed the job. He hit a four and six off Arshad Khan to knock off the winning runs to hand MI their 11th consecutive defeat in their first match of the season.