On Sunday, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) faced off against Mumbai Indians (MI) in the opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 tournament in Bangalore. RCB emerged victorious, winning by eight wickets, with Virat Kohli delivering an unbeaten 82.
The match began with MI batting first, and the team found themselves in trouble early on, with Mohammad Siraj removing Ishan Kishan for just 10 runs. Akash Deep then took the big wicket of Rohit Sharma, while Cameron Green fell to a poor shot selection, scoring just 5 runs. Suryakumar Yadav, the world’s number one T20 batsman, was also dismissed early on, scoring 15 runs from 16 balls with just one four.
However, young MI batsman Tilak Varma played a sensational knock, scoring 84 not out from just 46 balls. His innings consisted of nine fours and four sixes, and his partnership with Nehal Wadhera, who scored 21 from 13 balls, helped MI post a respectable total of 171/7 in their 20 overs. Arshad Khan also made a valuable contribution of 15 not out from nine balls, while Tim David and Hrithik Shokeen could not make significant contributions.
In response, RCB got off to a strong start, with Kohli and Faf du Plessis putting up a 148-run partnership for the first wicket. The two batsmen played sensibly, and it was a one-sided contest against MI. Kohli remained unbeaten on 82 from 49 balls, hitting six fours and five sixes, while du Plessis scored 73 runs from just 43 balls, hitting six sixes and five boundaries. Dinesh Karthik was dismissed for a duck, while Glenn Maxwell remained unbeaten on 12 from three balls, hitting two sixes.
RCB finished the chase in 16.2 overs with eight wickets in hand and 22 balls to spare. For RCB, Siraj, Reece Topley, Akashdeep, Harshal Patel, and Michael Bracewell took one wicket each, while Karn Sharma claimed two for 32. Jofra Archer had a forgettable day with the ball, conceding 33 runs in his four overs without taking any wickets. Arshad Khan and Cameron Green took one wicket each for MI, but it was not enough to stop RCB from winning comfortably.
MI will face Chennai Super Kings over the weekend at the Wankhede Stadium, and they will be under pressure to perform after their poor start to the IPL 2023 tournament. Last year, MI struggled in the IPL, and the defeat in the opening match has added more pressure on them.
In conclusion, RCB began their IPL 2023 campaign on a high note, with Kohli delivering a match-winning performance. MI, on the other hand, will have to regroup and come up with a better performance in their upcoming matches if they are to have any chance of winning the tournament.
