Hazlewood got good support from Mohammed Siraj (2/31) and Wanindu Hasaranga who removed the dangerous David Warner (66) as Delhi Capitals fell short in their chase of 189/5 build on attacking half-centuries by Dinesh Karthik (66 not out) and Glenn Maxwell (55).
Skipper Rishabh Pant (34 off 17 balls) tried to rally the middle and lower order but none of them stayed long enough to support him as Capitals ended with 173/7 in 20 overs to lose by 16 runs.
David Warner had raised hopes of Delhi Capitals, successfully chasing the target of 190 as he struck his 52nd half-century in Indian Premier League. He and Prithvi Shaw had given the innings a blazing start, raising 50 runs in the fifth over before the Mumbai batter got out, caught by Anuj Rawat off Siraj, mistiming an attempted slog on leg-side.
Warner continued in same fashion, hitting some brilliant shots all around the ground. He completed his fifty off 30 deliveries and was looking good for a big one when he was trapped lbw by Sri Lankan spinner Wanindu Hasaranga and Delhi Capitals slumped to 94/2 in 12th over.
Pant tried to continue the good work, hitting 34 off 17 deliveries with three fours and two sixes. But Rovman Powell, Lalit Yadav and Mitchell Marsh failed to contribute much as Delhi Capitals lost their way. With 45 needed off the last three overs, it was too much for the likes of Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur and Kuldeep Yadav to pull off.
Brief scores: Royal Challengers Bangalore 189/5 in 20 overs (Glenn Maxwell 55, Dinesh Karthik 66 not out, Shahbaz Ahmed 32 not out; Shardul Thakur 1/27) beat Delhi Capitals 173/7 in 20 overs (David Warner 66, Rishabh Pant 34; Josh Hazlewood 3/28, Mohammed Siraj 2/31).
Sensational counter-attacking half-centuries by Shivam Dube (95 not out off 46) and Robin Uthappa (88 off 50) propelled Chennai Super Kings to a mammoth 216/4 in 20 overs. CSK were in a spot of bother at 36-2 after 6.4 overs but Uthappa and Dube took RCB bowlers to the cleaners and stitched a whopping 165 runs off just 74 balls for the third wicket, helping the team post a big total.
Chasing a huge total, RCB were off to a poor start as they lost three key wickets inside the powerplay. Skipper Faf du Plessis (8), who mis-hit a delivery by Maheesh Theekshana to long-on, was the first one to get dismissed. Very soon, Virat Kohli (1) picked out the fielder in the deep on the on-side off Mukesh Chouhdary.
Attacking batter Glenn Maxwell tried to put the pressure back on Theekshana and CSK with back-to-back sixes in the sixth over. However, the Sri Lankan spinner continued to impress by dismissing Anuj Rawat (12) in the same over with a carrom ball as RCB were reduced to 42/3. Maxwell looked like he was connecting his shots but he too had to walk after he was castled by the arm ball from Ravindra Jadeja.
However, the next batters -- Suyash Prabhudessai and Shahbaz Ahmed -- had a 60 run partnership for the 5th wicket and they brought RCB back in the game. Debutant Prabhudessai showed his innovativeness during his enterprising 18-ball 34 knock before he was cleaned up by Theekshana.
On the other hand, Shahbaz also played a fine hand of 41 while the in-form Dinesh Karthik took over with an attacking 14-ball 34. Karthik targeted Mukesh Choudhary in the 17th over with two sixes and a four in a 23-run over, but he lacked support at the other end. Eventually, Karthik, who got out in the 18th over, had too much to do as RCB could manage 193/9 on the board in the stipulated 20 overs.
Earlier, put in to bat first, the out-of-form CSK opener Ruturaj Gaikwad got off to a good start but he couldn't carry his innings longer and fell on 17 to Josh Hazlewood. Thereafter, Moeen Ali (3), who came out to bat at No 3 then got run out courtesy of a terrible mix-up between two CSK batters and a sensational fielding effort from RCB debutant Suyash Prabhudessai.
After getting the big wickets of Ruturaj and Moeen, RCB were on top but Dube and Uthappa had other plans. The duo took their time to settle down as CSK reached 60/2 after 10 overs.
From there on, both batters decided to free their arms and scored 13, 13, 19, 13, 15 runs each in overs 11 to 15. With 8 wickets in hand, CSK were batting freely and it was getting tough for RCB to stem the flow of runs as many as 83 runs were scored in the last 5 overs.
During their important stand, Uthappa smashed 9 sixes and four boundaries while Dube hit eight sixes and five fours. Shivam Dube's knock of 95 not out has also become the highest individual score in a CSK-RCB encounter equalling 95 by Murali Vijay in IPL 2011 final in Chennai.
For RCB, Akash Deep conceded 58 runs in his four, while the otherwise economical Wanindu Hasaranga gave away 35 in his two overs and picked two wickets. The most economical on the night was Hazlewood (1/33), but even he went for over-8 an over.
Brief scores: Chennai Super Kings 216/4 in 20 overs (Shivam Dube 95 not out, Robin Uthappa 88; Wanindu Hasaranga 2/35, Josh Hazlewood 1/33) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 193/9 in 20 overs (Shahbaz Ahmed 41, Suyash Prabhudessai 34, Dinesh Karthik 34; Maheesh Theekshana 4/33, Ravindra Jadeja 3/39) by 23 runs.
Buttler, who scored a century against Mumbai Indians in their previous match, blasted four sixes in the last two overs of the innings as he remained unbeaten on 70 runs (42 balls, 6x6).
He stitched two vital partnerships -- an 83-run unfinished stand with Shimron Hetmyer (42 not out - 31 balls,4x4, 6x2) for the fourth wicket and a 70-run partnership 0ff 49 deliveries with Devdutt Padikkal (37 - 29 balls, 4x2, 6x2) -- which helped Rajasthan Royals set up RCB a target of 170 to chase.
Rajasthan got off to a poor start as Yashasvi Jaiswal in the second over, bowled while driving away from his body as he played for swing.
Buttler found a good ally in Karnataka opener Padikkal as they raised 70 runs for the second wicket to revive the innings. Buttler, who batted a bit slower than he did while hitting a century during his century against Mumbai Indians, got going in the last five overs as Rajasthan Royals added 66 runs in the last five overs.
Buttler completed his fifty off 42 deliveries but slammed four of his six hits over the fence in the last two overs -- sixes off the final two deliveries of Mohammed Siraj's fourth and final over, which was the 19th over the Royals' innings and then two more sixes off successive balls off the 20th over bowled by Akash Deep. He enjoyed a life when David Willey dropped him off Akash Deep when he was at 11. RCB ended up paying a heavy price for that lapse.
Padikkal, who came in at one drop, made the most of his opportunity as he helped Buttler revive the innings. He was dropped by Siraj off Willey -- and the ball rolled into the boundary rope, rubbed salt into the wound as he launched him over long-on, the over costing RCB 14 runs.
He was caught by Virat Kohli off Harshal Patel, mishitting a slower delivery. Kohli backpedals from mid-on and catches with reverse cup, stumbling down.
Hetmyer played a good foil to Buttler as they went on repairing the Royals innings once again, raising some quick runs in the last five overs as Rajasthan reached a modest total.
Brief scores: Rajasthan Royals 169/3 in 20 overs; (Jos Buttler 70 not out, Devdutt Padikkal 37, Shimron Hetmyer 42 not out; Harshal Patel 1/18, David Willey 1/29) against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
With RCB fans seeking information regarding Kohli's plans for the last many days as the other players had joined the preparatory camp, the RCB on Monday tweeted the much-anticipated good news on Monday.
"King Kohli has arrived! That's it. That's the news," tweeted the official social media handle of the Bengaluru-based IPL franchise.
The franchise also tweeted some photographs of Kohli's arrival and former India and RCB skipper smiling after settling in his room. Video clips of his arrival at the team's base too were doing the rounds of social media sites on Monday.
Kohli has been with the Royal Challengers since the inception of the league in 2008 and was their skipper for eight seasons before he relinquished captaincy at the start of this season.
The 33-year-old Kohli is the all-time leading batter in the IPL with 6283 runs from 207 matches at an average of 37.39 and a strike rate of 129.54 with the highest score of 113.
Though he will not be leading RCB in this edition of IPL, he will still be their main batsman.
Video Editor: Partha Narayan Das
Producer: Sanchita Mondal
Put into bat first, the Royals suffered a spectacular batting meltdown to end at a below-par score of 149/9 in 20 overs. At one stage the Royals were 100/1, but they lost next eight wickets for just 49 runs in the last 9 overs to squander hopes of a big total.
Chasing a modest score of 150, RCB hunted down the target with still 17 balls to spare. After the dismissal of skipper Kohli, Bharat and Maxwell stitched a 69-run stand with the latter hitting a fifty in just 30 balls.
Yuzi Chahal was adjudged Player of the Match for his spell of 18 in 4 overs and picking up two crucial wickets. With 14 points now, Bangalore stands third in the table while this win has strengthened its chances of making it to the playoffs. Rajasthan are languishing at 7th spot with 4 wins in 11 matches.
Kohli (51) rescued RCB after his opening partner Devdutt Padikkal was out for a duck, completing his 10,000 runs in T20 cricket in the process. With Maxwell going great guns, it looked like Bangalore would pile up a big total. But Jasprit Bumrah (3/36) sent back Maxwell and AB de Villiers off successive deliveries as Mumbai Indians pegged RCB back and restricted them to a more manageable 165.
Earlier today, Mumbai Indians won the toss and decided to field first against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 39th match of the IPL 2021 here on Sunday.
Hardik Pandya is back in the Mumbai squad. Whereas, RCB named Kyle Jamieson, Daniel Christian and Shahbaz Ahmed in their playing XI.
Mumbai captain Rohit Sharma after the toss said, "Just feel that we have tried everything in the two games we have played. From here on, every game is important. Need to focus on the game at hand... Keep ticking the small boxes and see what we can do as a team here. [Hardik] is very passionate about the game and the comeback. He is playing tonight. Saurabh misses out, and we have Hardik back."
Meanwhile, RCB skipper Virat Kohli said, "Would have bowled first as well. Looks like a nice, hard wicket. There is some grass coverage... We have made mistakes ourselves, and not been outplayed. In a T20, you don't have much time to make a comeback. You need to back yourself... We have done that in the first leg. (Mumbai) are the strongest side IPL has seen... We have had some nice encounters over the years."
Brief scores:
Royal Challengers Bangalore 165/6 in 20 overs (Virat Kohli 51, Glenn Maxwell 56, Srikar Bharat 32, Jasprit Bumrah 3/36) against Mumbai Indians.
Teams:
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Quinton de Kock, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Adam Milne, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult.
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Srikar Bharat, Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers, Shahbaz Ahmed, Daniel Christian, Kyle Jamieson, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Playing in his 314 T20 match, Kohli pulled his India team-mate Jasprit Bumrah for a six to get the milestone in the fourth over after RCB were sent in to bat.
Kohli, who is set to step down from RCB captaincy at the end of this season, had come into the match with 13 short of 10,000 runs.
The 32-year-old has played 298 innings before Sunday's match and has scored runs at an average of 41.61 with the help of five hundreds and 73 fifties. His highest individual score was 113. His career strike-rate has been an impressive 134 plus.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will be aiming to up their captaincy quotient and raise their respective team's performance by a few notches when Royal Challengers Bangalore lock horns with defending champions Mumbai Indians in an IPL game, here on Sunday.
India's outgoing T20 captain and the one who will replace him, both have endured crushing defeats. It puts them on a slippery slope as the tournament approaches its business end.
RCB are still in top four with 10 points from nine games while MI after their back-to-back defeats have slumped to sixth spot with eight points from nine games.
The fact that bulk of India's top-order batters, who are currently under-performing, are from these two sides, sticks out like sore thumb.
Going into the World T20, Kohli, Rohit, Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan are some of the batting mainstays.
Also, there is Hardik Pandya, who is not being picked by Mumbai Indians as he is perhaps not 100 percent fit to carry his all-round duties which includes four overs of brisk fast-medium bowling.
But if Hardik is batting fit and still the burly and bordering on sloppy Saurabh Tiwary is preferred, then it does seem a bit baffling as the Baroda all-rounder purely as a batsman is miles ahead of the Jharkhand man.
Kohli showed some form en route his half-century against CSK at Sharjah but the overall form has been scratchy and his MI counterpart also didn't completely look in his elements during the previous game against KKR.
The more worrying factor will be Surya's lack of form which might be a result of lack of game time, having sat through two Tests in England. He is suddenly looking a lot rustier than usual.
It was no different for Ishan also as the trio needs to fire to be in good head space before the T20 World Cup on same tracks that are expected to get slower.
One can only hope that their form doesn't desert them when they need it most in the "Desert Nation".
Interestingly, both RCB and MI have lost their two matches on resumption to same opposition --- KKR and CSK.
What's more disconcerting has been the patchy bowling efforts from both sides save an odd bowler.
For Mumbai, it is Jasprit Bumrah, who has looked head and shoulders above the rest of the pack while Yuzvendra Chahal with wiry little frame is carrying the burden of an entire below-par bowling attack.
No support for either of the two from the other bowlers have not helped their cause either.
RCB's case is a bit trickier as they have now lost seven matches on the trot in the UAE. Five of those defeats came in the last edition.
RCB's bowling attack, in terms of quality, is a bit wafer-thin as the likes of Harshal Patel don't have the wherewithal to perform match after match.
In case of Navdeep Saini, a success-rate of just about "half wicket per IPL game" (17 scalps in 30 matches) gives a picture of why Kohli can't always rely on him.
Wanindu Hasaranga was taken after just two good matches against a second string Indian side in Sri Lanka and even if one goes by his ICC rankings, there are enough quality players who would see his spell through.
In batting, it's more about Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal who put on 111 for the first wicket only to find that others weren't good enough to add even 50 runs.
They have a keeper in Kona Bharath, who is primarily a red-ball specialist. Against the CSK, Harshal Patel, who had some sporadic experiences of batting for Haryana, was sent ahead of him.
That only speaks of skipper's lack of trust having sent him up the order.
Glenn Maxwell as usual is the "big buy" which more often than not goes waste and Tim David not being the man for slow tracks is also hurting RCB chances.
Squads
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli (Captain), Navdeep Saini, Glenn Maxwell, Dan Christian, Rajat Patidar, Dushmantha Chameera, Pavan Deshpande, Mohammed Siraj, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Sachin Baby, Wanindu Hasaranga, George Garton, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shahbaz Ahmed, Devdutt Padikkal, Kyle Jamieson, Suyash Prabhudessai, KS Bharat, Tim David, Akash Deep, AB de Villiers.
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (captain) Quinton de Kock, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Aditya Tare, Anmolpreet Singh, Chris Lynn, Saurabh Tiwary, Anukul Roy, Arjun Tendulkar, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, James Neesham, Jayant Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Marco Jansen, Yudhvir Singh, Adam Milne, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohsin Khan, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Piyush Chawla, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult.
"This will be my last IPL as captain of RCB. I'll continue to be an RCB player till I play my last IPL game. I thank all the RCB fans for believing in me and supporting me," Kohli said in a video uploaded on RCB's Twitter handle.
Virat Kohli to step down from RCB captaincy after #IPL2021
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) September 19, 2021
“This will be my last IPL as captain of RCB. I’ll continue to be an RCB player till I play my last IPL game. I thank all the RCB fans for believing in me and supporting me.”: Virat Kohli#PlayBold #WeAreChallengers pic.twitter.com/QSIdCT8QQM
A few days back, Kohli had decided to step down as India's T20 captain to lessen his workload. Virat Kohli decided to step down from T20 captaincy after the upcoming T20 world Cup scheduled to be held in Dubai this year.
Kohli took to Twitter and wrote, "I have been fortunate enough to not only represent India but also lead the Indian Cricket Team to my utmost capability. I thank everyone who has supported me in my journey as the Captain of the Indian Cricket Team. I couldn't have done it without them - the boys, the support staff; the selection committee, my coaches and each and every Indian who prayed for us to win."
He further said, "Understanding workload is a very important thing and considering my immense workload over the last 8-9 years playing all 3 formats and captaining regularly for last 5-6 years, I feel I need to give myself space to be fully ready to lead the Indian Team in Test and OD! Cricket. I have given everything to the Team during my time as T20 Captain and I will continue to do so for the T20 Team as a batsman moving forward."
"After a lot of contemplation and discussions with my close people, Ravi bhai and also Rohit, who have been an essential part of the leadership group, I've decided to step down as the T20 Captain after this T20 World Cup in Dubai in October. I have also spoken to the secretary Mr Jay Shah and the President of BCCI Mr Sourav Ganguly along with all the selectors about the same. I will continue to serve Indian Cricket and the Indian Team to the best of my ability," he added.
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) September 16, 2021
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will don green jersey on April 15 during their home game against Rajasthan Royals at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.
As part of the programme that takes place every season, captain Kohli gives a small plant to his rival counterpart and the names of the players on the jerseys are replaced by their Twitter handles.
"We support the green initiative and this year the match will be on April 15 when RCB take on Rajasthan Royals," Madhumita Basu, chief of sales marketing and innovation, told reporters during RCB's jersey unveiling in Kolkata.
RCB will begin their IPL season 11 campaign against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata on April 8.
(With agency inputs)
It was once again Williamson, who along with Pandey forged a crucial partnership to take Hyderabad on the verge of another nail-biting win. However, it was the hosts who clinched the issue by 14 runs to keep their playoff dream alive.
Chasing the massive 219-run target, Hyderabad openers Shikhar Dhawan (18) and Alex Hales (37) took their side to a quick start, accumulating 47 runs in the first five overs.
However, the decent start was short-lived as Yuzvendra Chahal drew the first blood for the hosts in the sixth over when Dhawan came down the track but chipped back to the bowler.
With addition of another 17 runs in Hyderabad's scorecard, AB de Villiers took a stunning catch at deep midwicket to pack back Hales off a Moeen Ali delivery.
Skipper Williamson and Pandey then took the command, taking their side to touch the three-figure mark in 11.3 overs.
Meanwhile, the Hyderabad captain slammed his half-century off 28 balls, helping his side inch closer to the target.
The duo went on to forge a crucial 135-run partnership for the third wicket, lifting the visitors to 199 runs in 19.1 overs.
With 19 needed off the final over, Mohammed Siraj jolted Hyderabad dismissing the visiting skipper to bring back Bangalore in the game.
Williamson's knock was laced with seven fours and five sixes.
Pandey and incoming batsman Deepak Hooda could only manage five runs off the final five deliveries as the hosts sealed the match by 14 runs to keep them afloat in the league.
For Bangalore, Chahal, Siraj and Ali bagged one wicket each.
Earlier, de Villiers and Moeen Ali smacked breezy half centuries to help Bangalore overcome a shaky start and post a mammoth 218/6 against Hyderabad in a must-win tie.
De Villiers (69 from 39 balls; 4x12, 6x1) and Moeen (65 from 34; 4x2, 6x6) put on a 107-run third wicket stand to resurrect RCB's innings which fell apart after the early loss of the opening duo of Parthiv Patel (1) and skipper Virat Kohli (12).
Put in to bat, Parthiv failed to take advantage of the dropped chance off the very first ball and departed off the final ball off Sandeep Sharma, caught by Siddharth Kaul at third man.
Kohli followed his opening partner soon after adding 32 runs with de Villiers, as the India skipper's struggle with the spinners continued in this edition of the IPL. The right-hander attempted to slog Rashid Khan's fuller length delivery hoping for a googly only to find his stumps re-arranged.
Struggling at 32/2, de Villiers and Moeen changed the complexion of the innings in no time, with both batsmen trying to outscore each other as it started raining boundaries at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
De Villiers started with two consecutive boundaries off Shakib Al Hasan before sending the other Hyderabad bowlers to the leather hunt, before Moeen joined the party by welcoming rookie pacer Basil Thampi with two consecutive sixes.
In no time, the South African veteran brought up his half century in mere 32 balls, when he pulled medium pacer Kaul for a boundary before Moeen, who was dropped on 23 by Dhawan off Sandeep, turned on the heat by meting out some special treatment to Thampi.
The English southpaw mercilessly smacked Thampi for a boundary to bring up his maiden IPL half century off just 25 balls before Afghan leg-spinner Rashid came back to break the partnership in a span of three balls.
Rashid first saw the back of de Villiers brilliantly caught by Dhawan at deep backward square before packing Moeen one ball later, caught behind by Shreevats Goswami.
With both the set batsmen back in the dug out, the visitors sniffed at a smaller total when they packed an in-form Mandeep Singh (4) cheaply.
But New Zealander Colin de Grandhomme (40 from 17; 4x1, 6x4) and teenaged Sarfaraz Khan (22 not out from 8; 4x3, 6x1) lit up the stadium with some late order fireworks, to ensure the home side crossed the 200-run mark with a quick-fire 34-run stand.
For the tourists, Rashid once again emerged the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3/27, while Siddharth and Sandeep chipped in with two and one wickets, respectively.
Brief Scores: Royal Challengers Bangalore 218/6 (AB de Villiers 69, Moeen Ali 65; Rashid Khan 3/27) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad 204/3 (Kane Williamson 81, Manish Pandey 62 not out; Moeen Ali 1/21) by 14 runs.
After the thumping win, the Virat Kohli-led side have 10 points in their kitty and victories in their remaining two games could possibly help them advance to the top four.
Bangalore completely dominated their opponents as after bundling Punjab on a paltry 88 runs, the openers guided their side home without throwing a wicket.
Chasing a meagre 89-run target, Bangalore openers Kohli and Parthiv Patel remained unbeaten on 48 and 40 runs, respectively, to register a comfortable win.
While Kohli's knock came off 28 balls, containing six fours and couple of sixes, Parthiv faced 22 deliveries, smashing seven boundaries.
The pair cautiously put nine runs for Bangalore in the first over. They, however, switched gears from the next over, accumulating 25 runs off the subsequent couple of overs, with the visitor's scorecard reading 36/0.
They soon took their side past the 50-run mark in 4.5 overs as each of the Punjab bowler struggled to get a breakthrough.
Later, riding on some lusty hits by the openers, Bangalore hunted down the target in just 8.1 overs with 10 wickets in hand.
Earlier, Bangalore put up a spirited show on the field to bundle out Kings XI Punjab for a paltry 88 -- the second lowest total of this season.
Pacer Umesh Yadav (3/23) starred with the ball and was well complemented by the fielders effecting three run-outs as only three of the Punjab batsmen could manage to reach double figures on a flat track.
Put in to bat, the hosts squandered a decent 36-run opening start from Lokesh Rahul (21 off 15 balls; 6x3) and Chris Gayle (18 off 14, 4x4) before losing both the openers in the fifth over of the innings.
Umesh could have got RCB a dream start had stumper Parthiv held on to Gayle's nick in the very first over, but the bowler had the last laugh when he dismissed both the openers in the fifth over off similar deliveries.
While Rahul was caught by Colin de Grandhomme at deep square leg, Gayle went out off a top edge caught by Mohammed Siraj at the same position two balls later.
Siraj immediately joined the party with the wicket of No.3 Karun Nair (1) brilliantly caught by skipper Kohli at slip before Australians Aaron Finch (26) and Marcus Stonis (2) joined forces.
But the tourists were in no mood to let the Aussies settle down as leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal broke through the defence of Stoinis.
Finch curbed his natural instincts for a patient knock but found the going tough against the disciplined RCB bowlers before eventually losing his wicket to off-spinner Moeen Ali.
Punjab skipper Ravichandran Ashwin (0) departed the very next ball, thanks to a brilliant throw from Pawan Negi as the home side tottered at 78/7 after 12 overs.
Coming back for his final over, Umesh removed Andrew Tye for a duck before RCB effected two more run outs of tailenders Mohit Sharma (3) and Ankit Rajpoot (1) to end Punjab's innings in 15.1 overs.
Brief Scores: Royal Challengers Bangalore 92/0 (Virat Kohli 48 not out, Partiv Patel 40 not out) beat Kings XI Punjab 88 (Aaron Finch 26, Lokesh Rahul 21, Umesh Yadav 3/23) by 10 wickets.
This was the Orange Army's eighth win from 10 matches and look on course for the play-offs with already 16 points in their kitty.
On the other hand, Virat Kohli's sixth-placed RCB virtually find themselves out of the race to the play-offs after succumbing to their seventh loss in 10 outings and are likely to play the party spoilers from here on.
After restricting Sunrisers to a manageable 146, the visitors began their chase on a promising note, and looked comfortable at 60/2 before the innings derailed with three quick wickets as they eventually ended on 141/6.
Parthiv Patel gave RCB a flashy start scoring a 13-ball 20 before skipper Kohli blasted a 30-ball 39 to put the tourists on course for a comfortable win.
Kohli started with his trademark cover drive for a boundary before taking left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan to the cleaners on three consecutive occasions.
Kohli survived a scare from Afghan leg-spinner Rashid Khan when his edge went through Kane Williamson's hands to the boundary but could not ride his luck a second time when Yusuf Pathan pulled off a blinder of a catch at short third man off Shakib.
The skipper's wicket followed the quick dismissals of AB de Villiers (5) and debutant Moeen Ali (10) as the tourists started losing the plot.
With the asking run-rate climbing and the home bowlers sticking to a perfect line, the last recognised batting duo of Mandeep Singh (21 not out) and Colin de Grandhomme (33) eventually failed to take the visitors home.
Earlier, the tourists rode on pace duo of Mohammed Siraj (3/25) and Tim Southee (3/30) and two impressive run-outs by skipper Kohli to restrict the hosts to a a below par 146.
Siraj accounted for the key wickets of opener Shikhar Dhawan (13), Yusuf Pathan (12) and Wriddhiman Saha (8) even as Southee started the proceedings with the wicket of the other opener Alex Hales (5) and came back to remove Shakib (35) and Sandeep Sharma (0), as the home side could manage just 41 runs losing seven wickets in the final five overs.
Put in to bat, Hyderabad skipper Kane Williamson (56 off 39 balls) raged a lone battle with a defiant half century, despite losing his partners at regular intervals before Shakib joined him to forge a 64-run partnership for the fourth wicket and take the side past the 100-run mark.
With the innings progressing at a snail's pace, Williamson while trying to up the ante, perished off a Umesh Yadav delivery caught at the deep backward square leg boundary by Mandeep Singh.
The Hyderabad's skipper knock was decorated with five fours and couple of sixes.
Shakib too, followed his skipper to the dug out in the 18th over before Yusuf and Wriddhiman departed in quick succession off the penultimate over of the innings.The final over saw a couple of run-outs by Kohli and a wicket by Southee as the hosts were bundled out for 146.
Brief Scores: Sunrisers Hyderabad: 146 (Kane Williamson 56, Shakib Al Hasan 35; Mohammed Siraj 3/25) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 141/6 (Virat Kohli 39, Colin de Grandhomme 33, Mandeep Singh 21 not out; Shakib Al Hasan 2/36) by 5 runs.
RCB, on the other hand, are virtually out of the race for the play-offs. They are currently on six points and have to win all their five remaining matches, which is a big ask for the off-colour unit.
The Chennai are sitting pretty on top of the table with 14 points from 10 matches. They have won seven of those matches while losing three.
The Chennai team, which has a reputed batting line-up, were expected to acomplish the job quite easily. But the team put themselves under pressure in the slog overs before skipper Dhoni smashed three sixes off RCB's star spinner Yuzvendra Chahal to take his side across the line in the 18th over.
Having elected to field first on winning the toss, CSK restricted the visitors to 127/9 in their 20 overs.
CSK were boosted by an excellent display by the hitherto off-colour Ravindra Jadeja who roared back to form with figures of 3/18.
Ambati Rayudu laid the foundation of a successful chase with 32 runs off 25 balls after the other opener Shane Watson was bowled by Umesh Yadav in the third over.
Rayudu and Suresh Raina tried to bring the chase back on track with a 44-run stand before Yadav struck again, removing Raina in the ninth over.
Rayudu fell a couple of overs later when he attempted an expansive shot off Murugan Ashwin, only to hand an easy top edge to Mohammed Siraj at short third man. Colin de Grandhomme then removed Dhruv Shorey, who made his IPL debut, in the next over to put the hosts under pressure.
However, Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo batted slowly but sensibly to ensure victory for the hosts without any further loss of wickets.
Earlier, disciplined bowling by CSK and a few reckless shots by the RCB batsmen saw the visitors being restricted to a low total.
The highlight of the RCB batting effort was a half-century from opener Parthiv Patel, who was their highest scorer with 53 runs off 41 balls.
The only other RCB batsman to reach double figures was tailender Tim Southee who remained unbeaten on 36 off 26 balls.
Fast bowler Lungi Ngidi struck the first blow for CSK early on when he dismissed RCB opener Brendan McCullum in the second over.
McCullum had gone for a big shot but was fooled by the lack of pace as the ball skied up after finding the toe end of the bat for an easy catch to Shardul Thakur at mid-on.
RCB skipper Virat Kohli made a bold move by promoting himself up the order coming out to bat at the one-down slot.
But his move did not pay off as Ravindra Jadeja struck a big blow with his first ball of the match when he bowled the RCB skipper with a delivery that turned in sharply after pitching.
CSK struck another big blow in the very next over when the dangerous AB De Villiers was stumped off Harbhajan Singh's bowling. Jadeja got his second wicket when Mandeep Singh miscued a slog sweep, only to find David Willey at deep backward square leg.
Patel however, continued to battle on at the other end bringing up his half-century with a single off Harbhajan in the 12th over.
However, he too fell victim to the resurgent Jadeja when a mistimed flick handed an easy return catch to the CSK all-rounder.
RCB continued to lose wickets at regular intervals as CSK restricted them to a low total.
Brief scores:
CSK: 128/4 in 18 overs (Ambati Rayudu 32, Mahendra Singh Dhoni 31 not out) vs RCB: 127/9 in 20 overs (Parthiv Patel 53; Tim Southee 36 not out; Ravindra Jadeja 3/18).
The win, came after two straight losses, took Kolkata to fourth spot with eight points while Bangalore are at seventh spot with four points.
Chasing 176, the visitors got off to a perfect start as Lynn and Sunil Narine (27) forged 59-run partnership in 7.1 overs before the West Indian departed by M. Ashwin.
New batsman Uthappa and Lynn then played sensibly and punished the bad balls. The duo managed to take Kolkata past 100-run mark. But just when things seemed good in the middle, Uthappa was dismissed by Ashwin in the 13th over.
New batsman Nitish Rana (15), who was looking good at the crease, got retied hurt.
Middle-order batsmen Andre Russel (0) and Dinesh Karthik (23) were also sent packing soon but at that time Lynn has already put his team on the front foot and then went on to complete the proceeding in the last over with Shubman Gill (5 not out).
For Bangalore, M. Ashwin and Mohammed Siraj took two wickets each.
Earlier, A good opening stand followed by skipper Virat Kohli's unbeaten half-century helped Royal Challengers Bangalore to post 175/4.
Kohli's unbeaten 68-run knock came off 44 balls, containing five boundaries and three sixes at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Put into bat, Bangalore started on a cautious note as openers Quinton de Kock (29 off 27) and Brendon McCullum (38 off 28) shared a 67-run partnership for the first wicket.
KKR spinner Kuldeep Yadav came up with the first breakthrough as he packed de Kock in the ninth over.
With the addition of just seven runs in Bangalore's overall score of 67, Andre Russel jolted the hosts after dismissing McCullum and Manan Vohra (0) in the next over.
However, Kohli kept one end tight and added 65 runs for the fourth wicket with Mandeep Singh (19).
Mandeep however, didn't show a fight and was dismissed on a Russel delivery in the 18th over with Bangalore's score reading 140/4.
Kohli continued his good work and slammed yet another half-century and some fireworks by him in the final moments helped the hosts reach a respectable total of 175/4.
For Kolkata, Russel was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3/31 while Kuldeep scalped a wicket for 20 runs.
Brief Scores: Royal Challengers Bangalore: 175/4 (Virat Kohli 68, Brendon McCullum 38; Andre Russell 3/31) vs KKR: 176/4 (Chris Lynn 62 not out; M Ashwin 2/ 36)
Chasing a massive total of 206 runs, Dhoni was at his explosive best, blasting seven sixes as the visitors won with five wickets and two deliveries to spare clash at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
The veteran skipper was well supported by opener Rayudu, who slammed four boundaries and eight sixes as CSK took their points tally to 10, while RCB remained in the sixth spot with four points.
Earlier, South Africans AB de Villiers and Quinton de Kock's struck breezy half centuries to power RCB to a mammoth 205/8. De Kock (53, 37 balls; 4x1, 6x4) played the perfect supporting role in the 103-run second wicket stand with de Villiers (68 off 30; 4x2, 6x8), who started from the word go to bring up his half century in just 23 deliveries.
Put in to bat, RCB got off to a decent 35-run start by skipper Virat Kohli (18) and de Kock before Shardul Thakur saw the back of the Indian captain, thanks to a smart catch by Ravindra Jadeja.
But the visitors wouldn't have imagined what was coming their way, as de Villiers started off by clobbering Harbhajan Singh for two consecutive sixes before launching left-arm spinner Jadeja to the skies.
Such was the dominance from the former Proteas skipper that the hosts raced to 87/1 midway into the innings, with both de Villiers and de Kock nearing their respective fifties.
Despite being overshadowed by his senior partner, the southpaw brought up his half century in style, tonking Shane Watson for a six over deep mid-wicket.
On the first ball of the very next over, de Villiers, who had earlier clobbered leg-spinner Imran Tahir for two massive sixes, took Thakur to the cleaners thrice consecutively to bring up his half century.
With both the RCB batsmen going hammer and tongs, CSK skipper Dhoni threw the ball to his West Indian all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, and he responded in style by packing back de Kock with a smart catch off his
own follow through.
Tahir then joined the party by bagging the prized scalp of de Villiers and new man Corey Anderson (2) in the very next over to restore parity into the match.
De Villiers miscued Tahir's tossed-up delivery pitched outside off-stump for Sam Billings to complete the formalities at deep cover.
Tahir immediately got rid of New Zealand's Anderson with a googly as Harbhajan Singh completed a brilliant catch at slip.
With the hosts comfortably placed at 142/4, Mandeep Singh (32 off 17; 4x1, 6x3) and Colin de Grandhomme (11) struck a few lusty blows towards the end, even as two run-outs and a wicket in the final over could not stop RCB from crossing the 200-run mark.
During the chase, Chennai were off to a shaky start, losing opener Shane Watson (7), who was trying to clear the mid-on boundary, in the very first over.
Incoming batter Suresh Raina then shared a 42-run partnership with Rayudu, helping CSK touch the 50-run mark.
While trying to flick a Umesh Yadav ball, Raina (11) was caught at backward point by Mandeep Singh.
CSK received another jolt soon as leggie Yuzvendra Chahal struck to dismiss Sam Billings (9) in the seventh over, leaving Chennai reeling at 59/3.
Just when CSK added another 15 runs, Chahal got the better off Ravindra Jadeja (3) in the ninth over to put the visitors on tremendous pressure.
Rayudu however, kept the scoreboard ticking for CSK. The opener was then joined by Dhoni, who made his intentions clear after smashing a massive six over deep midwicket on the vey second ball he faced.
The duo then shared a crucial 101-run partnership for the fifth wicket, bringing back CSK in the contest.
Both the batters fired every RCB bowlers to skies and meanwhile, Rayudu bought his second fifty of the season in the 14th over.
On the other hand, Dhoni too, notched up his second fifty in the 18th over with Chennai's scorecard reading 169/4.
Just when the visitors were inching closer towards the target, a brilliant throw by Umesh Yadav from short third man area saw the end of Rayudu, who was trying to gather couple of runs.
With 30 required off the last two overs, Chennai managed to accumulate 14 runs in the 19th over bowled by Mohammed Siraj to make the issue another nail-biter.
A boundary and a huge six by Dwayne Bravo (14 not out off seven) off the first two deliveries followed by a six by Dhoni sealed another win for Chennai in an edge of the seat match.
For RCB, Chahal was the pick of the bowlers bagging two wickets for 26 runs while spinner Pawan Negi and Yadav scalped a wicket each.
Brief Scores: Royal Challengers Bangalore 205/8 (AB de Villiers 68, Quinton de Kock 53; Mandeep Singh 32; Imran Tahir 2/35) vs Chennai Super Kings 207/ 5 in 19.4 overs (Ambati Rayudu 82, MS 70 not out; Yuzvendra Chahal 2/26).
This is the first win for Mumbai in this edition of the cash-rich league.
Kohli, who opened the innings with Quinton de Kock, remained unbeaten but could not guide his team to victory. In his 62-ball innings Kohli slammed seven boundaries and four sixes.
Chasing a mammoth 214, Bangalore started off on a positive note, scoring 40 runs in 4.1 overs but after the fall of de Kock's wicket, the visitors never looked in contention, losing wickets at regular intervals.
Apart from Kohli, no other batsmen rose to the occasion and went back one after other.
de Kock's 19-run knock was the second highest among the other batters.
For Mumbai, left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya scalped three wickets while Jasprit Bumrah and Mitchell McClenaghan chipped in with two wickets each.
Earlier, skipper Rohit Sharma (94) and opener Evin Lewis (65) helped Mumbai Indians to post a mammoth 213/6.
After a disastrous start, Lewis and Rohit played a brilliant innings and forged a 108-run partnership before Lewis was dismissed. Lewis slammed six boundaries and five sixes in his 42-ball innings.
Rohit, on the other hand, stayed till the last and made sure his team crossed the 200-run mark before getting out on the penultimate delivery of the innings.
Put in to bat, Mumbai got off to a poor start, losing opener Suryakumar Yadav (0) and Ishan Kishan (0) in the opening two balls of the first over.
The fall of the wickets brought in Rohit, who along with Lewis played sensibly and slammed the bowlers all around the park before Lewis got out. Rohit slammed 10 boundaries and five sixes in his 52-ball innings.
After the fall of Lewis' wicket in the 12th over by Corey Anderson, Krunal Pandya (15) also tried to maintain the same pace but failed and got run out in the 16th over.
Kieron Pollard then joined Rohit in the middle and let the in-form Rohit have most of the strike. Taking full advantage, the skipper paced up the innings through some beautifully crafted shots. In the process Pollard was dismissed by pacer Chris Woakes. Soon, Rohit also got out on the penultimate ball of the innings.
Hardik Pandya (17 not out) and Mitchell McClenaghan (0) then completed the proceedings.
For Bangalore, Umesh Yadav and Anderson scalped two wickets each
Brief scores:
Mumbai Indians: 213/6 (Rohit Sharma 94; Evin Lewis 65; Umesh yadav 2/36) against Royal Challengers Bangalore: 167/8 (Virat Kohli 92; Krunal Pandya 3/28)
This initiative will be undertaken in association with the Government of Rajasthan and other NGOs.
Ranjit Barthakur, Executive Chairman, Rajasthan Royals, speaking on the Go Green initiative of Royal Challengers Bangalore, said, "The relentless Go-Green approach of RCB has brought together great changes in common perceptions. This environment is ours. The pillar of social responsibility is directly entwined with environmental sustainability.
"We are thankful to Amrit Thomas and RCB for having chosen RR for their annual Go Green match."
According to information, RCB and their skipper Virat Kohli presented their sapling to RR captain Ajinkya Rahane on Sunday. This ceremony marked the beginning of a new initiative to be taken by Rajasthan Royals where its team will start planting saplings across the periphery of its fortress, Sawai Mansingh stadium followed by various locations across the state of Rajasthan.
Rajasthan Royals will also work towards educating the people to apply best practices to go green -- car pooling, rain water harvesting, waste management etc.
"RR has been very participative and conscious towards ensuring that all efforts are aligned towards preserving Mother Nature in whatever possible way we can. We will work towards making our facilities pro-environment and for this we would like to ask all our stakeholders to pay detailed attention to energy efficient measures and sustainable operations to better manage waste, water and other sources of energy," added Barthakur.
"Sports bring communities together. Rajasthan Royals as a socially responsible franchise aims to find avenues to build a healthy environment with the support of all relevant stakeholders and its fans and followers. A Go Green garden will soon be in the making to support the Go Green initiative of Royal Challengers Bangalore," he added.
Calling it the RCB's "worst batting performance", Kohli said that "it really hurts".
The visitors were bundled out for 49, the lowest total in the Indian Premier League after the KKR, put in to bat first by Kohli, were all out for 131.
"After the kind of half that we had, we thought we could capitalise and chase it down. Reckless batting. I can't say anything at the moment. It was that bad. This is just not acceptable," said a visibly annoyed Kohli, who himself scored a golden duck.
The India captain, however, claimed he was distracted by a spectator.
"The sightscreen is very small here, one guy got up as the bowler was loading up, that distracted me. Still it wasn't a big deal. That was just one down," he said.
Kohli said the team needed to move on, leaving behind the poor show.
"We need to forget it and move forward. We're a much better team. We got 200 plus in the last game. I'm sure everyone realises what they've done wrong.
"You have to come out, show intent and back yourselves. I'm sure we won't bat like that again in the tournament.
"We're going back home for a couple of games. We've got back-to-back games, need to try and win those to get some momentum," he said.
"My life has totally changed after I took six wickets because that was best figures by an Indian (in T20I) and third best overall," Chahal told reporters on the eve of RCB's tie against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Eden Gardens here.
"So now there is more responsibility for me and pressure. Now I have to do more compared to last year," the 23-year- old tweaker said.
Chahal returned stunning figures of 6/25, the best by an Indian bowler in T20I history, and the third best overall as India won by 75 runs.
Coming to RCB, Chahal said South African star batsman AB de Villiers who did not play the last game due to injury, is fit for the tie on Sunday and could play.
"I think he is ready to play tomorrow. I don't know about (Tymal) Mills."
The addition of Samuel Badree and Pawan Negi, Chahal said, has taken the pressure off him and he can now bowl in the middle overs.
"He (Badree) can bowl in the Powerplay and I can bowl in the middle overs. Then (Pawan) Negi is there. Now we have two spinners who can bowl in Powerplay, last year it was only me who bowled in Powerplay overs," Chahal said.
Chahal said that he liked bowling on flatter wickets like the one on offer at the Eden Gardens which is expected to assist the fast bowlers.
"For me, I love to bowl on flat wickets. I don't like bowling on turning wickets. It is more difficult to beat the batsman, whereas on a flat wicket you can plan when to bowl sliders and googly. For me, I like pace on the wicket."
The Delhi batsman was declared fit on Thursday by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) medical team and will look to boosting the confidence of RCB, who have lost two out of the three matches that they have played so far in his absence.
In Kohli's absence, South African AB de Villiers made his presence felt in the previous game against Kings XI Punjab, when he smashed his way to an unbeaten 89 off just 46 balls to help RCB post a respectable 148-4 on his comeback after recovering from an injury.
But his single-handed effort failed to take the team home as RCB went down by eight wickets. With the likes of Chris Gayle and Shane Watson failing to fire, Maharashtra batsman Kedar Jadhav was the lone consistent performer in the opening games.
Among the bowlers, seamer Billy Stanlake and spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Pawan Negi have been among the wickets.
On the other hand, back from two consecutive home victories, third-placed Mumbai will be eager to get an away victory in the early stages of the tournament.
After the narrow win against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Sunday, the Rohit Sharma-led side dominated with both bat and ball to defeat Sunrisers Hyderabad by four wickets on Wednesday.
Mumbai will, however, be a bit worried with the form of Rohit and West Indian Keiron Pollard, who have so far failed to get a good score in the tournament.
The top order has been among runs with openers Parthiv Patel and Jos Buttler giving Mumbai good starts. In the middle order, youngster Nitish Rana stood out with scores of 34, 50, 45 in the last three matches.
All-rounder Hardik Pandya delivered in the first two matches with the bat while brother Krunal was in business with the ball against KKR and Hyderabad.
In the bowling department, Jasprit Bumrah, Harbhajan Singh, Lasith Malinga and Mitchell McClenaghan were among wickets in the last match.
Teams:
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli (Captain), Shane Watson, Chris Gayle, Mandeep Singh, Kedar Jadhav (WK), Travis Head, Sachin Baby, Stuart Binny, Tymal Mills, Sreenath Aravind, Aniket Choudhary, Yuzvendra Chahal, Pawan Negi, Harshal Patel, Adam Milne, Iqbal Abdulla, Samuel Badree, Avesh Khan, Tabraiz Shamsi, Praveen Dubey, Billy Stanlake.
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Parthiv Patel (WK), Kieron Pollard, Tim Southee, Jos Buttler (WK), Ambati Rayudu, Mitchell McClenaghan, Nitish Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Harbhajan Singh, Mitchell Johnson, Lendl Simmons, Vinay Kumar, Saurabh Tiwary, Karn Sharma, Krishnappa Gowtham, Siddhesh Lad, Nicholas Pooran, Shreyas Gopal, Jitesh Sharma, Deepak Punia, Jagadeesha Suchith, Kulwant Khejroliya.
Asked to bat first by the visitors, Hyderabad posted a commanding 207/4 in their allotted 20 overs at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
In reply, RCB were bowled out for 172 runs in 19.4 overs.
RCB started their chase in explosive fashion as Chris Gayle and Mandeep Singh scored around 10 runs an over in the first five overs.
The visitors suffered their first blow when a Rashid Khan delivery found an inside edge off Mandeep's bat before hitting the stumps.
They suffered a bigger blow in the next over when Gayle slightly mistimed a shot off Deepak Hooda only to offer a skier to David Warner at long-off.
Kedar Jadhav and Travis Head gave RCB a glimmer of hope with a 56-run stand off 31 balls but Ben Cutting produced an excellent bit of fielding to run out Jadhav and put an end to what was shaping to be a promising partnership.
It was all downhill from there for RCB as they lost wickets at regular intervals.
By the time Ashish Nehra removed Shane Watson and Sreenath Aravind off consecutive deliveries in the 18th over with RCB still needing 52 runs, the match was almost as good as over.
Nehra, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rashid Khan clinched two wickets each while Deepak Hooda and Bipul Sharma got one each.
Earlier, Hyderabad rode on a solid top order contribution to post a commanding total.
Opener Shikhar Dhawan (40) and one-down Moises Henriques (52) made up for the early loss of skipper David Warner (14) with a 74-run second-wicket stand.
Veteran Punjab batsman Yuvraj Singh (62), then joined the run feast and together with Australian all-rounder Henriques, brought up another 58-run stand for the third wicket to take the hosts past the 150-run mark by the 15th over.
Earlier, Rajasthan left-arm pacer Aniket Choudhary could not have asked for a better IPL debut when he induced Warner with some swing to be comfortably caught by Mandeep Singh at backward point. The southpaw's eight-ball knock was laced with two fours and a six.
Thereafter, it was Dhawan and Henriques all the way, taking SRH past 50 in just five overs, as the visitors found it tough to handle the left-right combination.
Dhawan, who has been out of the India selectors' radar for quite a part of the domestic season, unsettled the RCB bowlers with his 31-ball knock comprising five fours, including four from RCB skipper Shane Watson's first over.
RCB had to wait until the 11th over to get their second wicket when Dhawan failed to clear the long-on boundary off Stuart Binny to be caught by Sachin Baby.
Henriques, on the other hand, started with a flashy four and lost no time to settle down. The Aussie all-rounder helped SRH continue the momentum even after the fall of Dhawan and together with Yuvraj blasted the bowlers all over the park.
Yuvraj, who was dropped on 26 off Choudhary, took full advantage of the life, rushing to his fastest IPL half century in just 23 balls.
The 35-year-old's 27-ball knock, comprising seven boundaries and three massive sixes, provided the much-needed impetus to the defending champions who left from where they left off in the last edition. He, however, fell to England quick Tymal Mills after failing to connect a fast good length delivery in the penultimate over of the innings.
Deepak Hooda and Ben Cutting, then provided the finishing touch with some lusty blows to take the home side past the 200-run mark.
Mumbai Indians bowlers had also exploited a difficult batting track but leaked a few runs towards to end to allow the hosts post 167 for seven, which was a fighting total under challenging conditions.
Captain Virat Kohli (32) and Brendon McCullum (37) added 60 quick runs in the middle overs to help RCB recover from a slow start and Colin de Grandhomme (23 from 10) hit three sixes in the last over, bowled by fellow New Zealander Mitchell McClenaghan, to provide a flourishing finish to the RCB innings.
Opener Manan Vohra (45) played a useful knock at the top before being trapped by Mayank Markande.
MI all-rounder Hardik Pandya (3/28) scalped three batsmen and effected a run out to stop the hosts from running away with a big total but it proved enough in the end as all Mumbai Indians managed was 153 for seven.
With this win, RCB have not moved to sixth place in the table with six points while Mumbai are now seventh with just four points from eight matches.
The RCB bowlers, specially Umesh Yadav, produced hostile fats bowling spell upfront to peg Mumbai Indians back while Tim Southee (2/25) and Mohammed Siraj (2/28) delivered the goods in the death overs.
The visitors' chase suffered a huge setback as they lost three wickets inside four overs. Southee got rid of Ishan Kishan (0) and then Yadav scalped Suryakumar Yadav (9) and rival captain Rohit Sharma (0) in successive balls.
It was a gem of a ball that did Rohit in as the ball came in and flew after pitching, took a faint edge and Quinton de Kock leapt to his left to complete the sensational catch.
Kieron Pollard (13) and JP Duminy (23) had an onerous task at hand but Siraj had the West Indian caught behind, leaving Mumbai Indians reeling at 47 for four.
Pandya brothers -Hardik and Krunal -- kept Mumbai in with some smart batting, running hard between the wickets to keep the scoreboard moving.
Krunal hit de Grandhomme for a massive six before Hardik found two boundaries to take 17 runs from the 16th over. The brother had put on a 50-run stand to get closer to the total. The visitors needed 45 from the last four but Southee bowled exceptionally well by conceding just five runs in the 18th over.
Siraj sent back Krunal (23) to end his 56-run partnership with Hardik and now Mumbai needed 28 from nine balls. Southee struck again and this time he removed Hardik, caught by Kohli in the deep, in the first ball of the final over. With that wicket Mumbai were out of the game.
Earlier, as the wicket offered turned and pacers too generated pace, Mumbai Indians succeeded in straight-jacketing the RCB batsmen. Since it had rained, there was dampness in the wicket, causing the ball to come a slow on the bat.
Vohra broke the shackles by creaming off 22 runs from South African all-rounder JP Duminy's second over.
McClenaghan, though, kept troubling Quinton de Kock (7) , who struggled badly to connect the bat with the ball and was eventually caught brilliantly by Rohit Sharma at short mid-wicket off the Kiwi paceman.
Considering the conditions, expectedly, all three spinners were employed by captain Rohit Sharma. Krunal Pandya turned the ball away from McCullum while impressive Markande yet again kept the batsmen in a tight leash.
The spinner was hit for a six by Vohra but Markande trapped his Ranji teammate from Punjab.
It brought skipper Kohli at the crease as he came to bat at number four from his usual one-down position. The hosts claimed 20 runs from the 10th over, bowled by Hardik with McCullum hitting him for two sixes and a four.
Runs began to flow with both Kohli, who launched Markande for a huge six, and McCullum finding their strokes.
Hardik was bang on target when the Kiwi batsman attempted a single and was run out. It ended the 60-run partnership between the two.
Pandya then ripped apart the RCB batting line up by dismissing Mandeep Singh (14), who looked in good touch, Kohli and Washington Sundar (1) in the 18th over.
Virat Kohli and his colleagues will have to quickly forget their less-than-impressive display in the United Arab Emirates and gear up to take full advantage of home conditions at the Chinnaswamy Stadium as they play their first match of the India leg.
Both RCB and Hyderabad have garnered four points each, but the home side are placed above in the points-table because of a better run-rate.
RCB started off really well in the tournament by winning their first two matches even in the absence of the explosive West Indian Chris Gayle, but things went awry for them since then.
A lot of team's success, as has been the case all these six years, will revolve around Gayle, Kohli, Yuvraj Singh and AB de Villiers. In the five games RCB have played so far, they have not fired as expected.
Captain Kohli will be hoping that a return to familiar territory will be just the boost his team needs. Yuvraj has been getting decent knocks but he is not getting his rhythm right. De Villiers also have been miserable except for the 45-run knock against Mumbai Indians.
The opening stand have been disappointing for RCB which has resulted to their scoring the third lowest total ever in IPL history -- bowled out for a meagre 70 in 15 overs against Rajasthan Royals. RCB were also restricted to 124 for eight in their last match against Kings XI Punjab.
Gayle, who missed the team's first four games with a hamstring injury, showed his glimpse of batting prowess when he pummelled Kings XI Punjab from the word go, picking 20 runs in the first over of Glenn Maxwell.
However, the swashbuckling Jamaican fell in the next over, but not before making a statement of his arrival, which could prove a nightmare for any side's bowlers.
The contrast in their fortunes could not have been deeper going into tomorrow's match given that Punjab are yet to taste defeat this IPL while Bangalore have lost two matches on the trot.
RCB, sans West Indian marauder Chris Gayle who is nursing a sore back, were completely outplayed in their most recent match -- against Rajasthan Royals.
Their star-studded batting line-up collapsed to the third lowest IPL total ever before Rajasthan made short work of the paltry 71-run target in Abu Dhabi yesterday.
Except for skipper Virat Kohli, none of the RCB batsmen could make any noteworthy contribution last night. Yuvraj Singh has been getting decent knocks but the pace of his scoring remains a concern.
Yesterday's loss was a crushing one and Kohli wants to forget it as quickly as possible but it would be quite a task for his team to turn it around against Punjab, by far the most consistent team of the season so far.
Barring last night's game against Kolkata Knight Riders, which was won by their bowlers, Punjab's batsmen, especially Glenn Maxwell and David Miller, have been in murderous form.
It would require a very special effort to stop them, something that KKR's spin combo of Sunil Narine and Piyush Chawla managed to do last night before KXIP produced some magic of their own with the ball through the pace pair of Sandeep Sharma and Mitchell Johnson.
A big positive for KXIP is senior opener Virender Sehwag's return to some form. The veteran, who has fallen out of national reckoning, is slowly getting back into the groove with some decent contributions in the past couple of matches.
But Cheteshwar Pujara is still finding his feet in the format even though his individual form has not yet hurt the team too much.
Chasing 151, RCB fell short after an airborne Chris Lynn, who had earlier smashed a 31-ball 45, stretched his body backwards at the deep midwicket fence to pull off a blinder and send back dangerman A B de Villiers.
Needing nine off the last over, RCB could manage only seven, thanks largely to R Vinay Kumar's superb bowling besides Lynn's catch.
Chasing on a good batting surface, Bangalore were off to a blazing start with Yogesh Takawale (40) and Parthiv Patel (21) dealing in boundaries.
Takawale was the more aggressive of the two as he launched into a flurry of boundaries, picking KKR pace spearhead Morne Morkel for special treatment.
Of his eight boundaries, six came when the 29-year-old Takawale was up against Morkel, helping his side reach 50 in just 37 balls.
In between, hoping for a breakthrough, KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir handed over the ball to Sunil Narine, but took him off after a very economical first over, preferring to keep his most important bowler for the latter overs.
However, after settling in nicely, Takawale was trapped in front of the wicket by Jacques Kallis. He needed just 28 balls to score his runs.
Captain Virat Kohli (31) walked in but even before he could get his eye in, Patel was making his way back to the dressing room, as his leading edge popped up for Chris Lynn at cover.
This brought Yuvraj Singh (31) into the middle and the two experienced players went about the task in a calculated manner.
At the halfway stage of their innings, RCB needed 64 runs with eight wickets in hand. Yuvraj brought the equation down by a few runs after he clobbered Umesh Yadav for a six into the midwicket stands. A single was taken before Kohli whacked the bowler over the midwicket region.
Kohli then hit Kallis for two exquisite back-to-back cover drives with sheer timing and placements.
Yuvraj helped himself to a boundary to deep squareleg, before Kohli smashed Narine's full toss midwicket.
In reply to RCB's formidable 180/4, the Royals were bundled out for a paltry 109 in 19 overs.
RCB now play Chennai Super Kings in the qualifier 2, with the winner facing Mumbai Indians at the Eden Gardens in the May 24 final.
Ajinkya Rahane ploughed a lonely furrow for the Royals with a 39-ball 42, as none of the other batsmen came up with any notable contribution, as Sreenath Aravind, Harshal Patel, David Wiese and Yuzvendra Chahal picked up two wickets each for RCB.
Rajasthan were jolted early in their innings as inform batting allrounder Shane Watson (10) got out cheaply followed by the talented youngster Sanju Samson (5) who edged it to the keeper off a Harshal Patel delivery.
They could only manage to reach 40/2 in the powerplay as the willowers found it quite difficult playing the shots on the two paced strip.
Skipper Steve Smith (12), however, tried to anchor the innings but just as the Australian was getting into the groove, he lofted one straight down the throat of AB de Villiers at sweeper cover.
At the end of 10 overs, Rajasthan were reeling at 68/3.
The wickets kept on tumbling as the Royals felt the scoreboard pressure with the asking rate going up after every dot ball.
Rahane perished in the deep while Australian allrounder James Faulkner (4) was out caught and bowled by Sreenath Aravind after he managed to squeeze one up in the air off his boots.
From 55/3 in 8.1 overs, the Royals collpased to 95/8 in the 16th over, as the innings never got going.
Earlier in the day, de Villiers top scored for RCB with a 38-ball 66, while Mandeep with his unbeaten knock of 54 from 34 balls was the other major contributor as the duo put together a 113-run partnership.
Choosing to bat on a two paced wicket, RCB were off to a steady start as both openers Chris Gayle (27) and Virat Kohli cautiously negotiated the bowlers who kept hurling at an impeccable line and length.
But both Gayle and Kohli fell in quick succession and thereafter youngster Mandeep helped RCB reach 60/2 at the halfway stage after runs were down to a trickle.
However, de Villiers who had been quietly picking up the ones and twos, finally broke the shackles as he clobbered left arm spinner Ankit Sharma for 19 runs in the 15th over, in turn bringing up the 100 for his side.
Mandeep joined in the act as the duo cruised along on high gears notching 37 from the next 18 balls, which included two huge sixes from de Villiers off Chris Morris in the 18th over.
Though the South African got run out, Mandeep ensured they had a formidable total on the scoreboard.
For the Royals, Dhawal Kulkarni (2/28) was the pick of the bowlers.
Gayle smashed a 10 ball 35 and helped his side climb to second spot on the league table with 15 points from 13 games, while the Sunrisers drop to the fifth spot with 14 points from 13 matches.
Chasing a revised target of 81 runs from six over, the Challengers got over the line with a ball to spare and with six wickets in hand.
It was a tailor-made situation for the hefty Jamaican who relishes such challenges as he plundered 41 in the first two overs with Dale Steyn giving away 17 and Bhuvneshwar Kumar being belted for 24 runs.
However, it was all-rounder Moises Henriques for SRH who got the hosts back into the contest as Gayle pulled one of his slower deliveries into the hands of the man at deep mid-wicket. South African skipper followed AB de Villiers fell off the very next delivery after lofting one to long on. The over produced just three as the visitors were reduced to 44/2 after three overs.
But it was Kohli who swung the pendulum in favour of RCB again belting Karn Sharma for 14 and then getting 10 of a Praveen Kumar over.
Needing 13 of the last over, it was Kohli who hit the winning runs lofting Bhuvneshwar for a straight six.
Earlier in the day, even though the hosts lost swashbuckling opener Shikhar Dhawan (8) early, David Warner and Moises Henriques kept on the pressure on the RCB bowlers clubbing them to the ropes frequently.
Yuzvendra Chahal was hit for 17 in the 5th over which brought up the team’s 50.
The next over from pacer Ashok Dinda yielded 18 runs as some wayward bowling helped Henriques put the leather into the stands.
Henriques went berserk against Harshal Patel, after being dropped in the opening delivery of the seventh over. 20 runs came off the over.
SRH reached the triple figure mark with three overs to spare as Warner kept playing second fiddle and giving the strike to his partner at the end who was having a gala time in the middle.
But Henriques soon fell after completing his half-century edging one to the wicket-keeper.
RCB pulled things back in the last few over but by then the damage had been done.
Punjab remained at the foot of the standings with six points from 13 matches despite the win. Bangalore stayed at the fifth spot with 13 points from 12 matches.
Chasing a target of 107 runs in 10 overs, RCB managed only 84 for six. They sent their two destructive batsmen West Indian Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli to open the innings.
They began briskly picking up boundaries at every possible opportunity. But Kohli (19) in the third over was dismissed in trying to force the pace.
Gayle (17) soon followed his skipper getting caught while trying a big shot to reduce RCB to 44 for two in 4.4 overs.
With two of their best ball-bashers gone, the onus was on another renowned power hitter South African AB de Villiers (10) to lead RCB's cause. But he departed early too putting RCB in a spot of bother at 67 for three in 6.4 overs.
They never recovered from the blow lost wickets regularly to fall short of the target by 22 runs, managing only 84 for six.
Earlier, Kings XI Punjab posted 106/6 in 10 overs.
Much before both the side's skippers could get ready for the toss, rain halted their intentions. The toss was held at 10.30 pm, three hours later then the scheduled time. It reduced the Twenty-20 match to a 10-over per side contest.
RCB skipper Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bowl, much to the relief of the fans at the stadium.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha was promoted up the order and he opened the batting with Manan Vohra, who scored 11 in six balls.
Bengal's right-handed batsman Saha made most of the opportunity of batting up the order, hitting 31 in just 12 balls. His knock included five fours and a six.
Australia's World Cup hero Glenn Maxwella¿s poor form continued as he made only 10 runs.
Later, South African left-hander David Miller made 14 of four balls while skipper George Bailey and hit 13 in nine deliveries.
Young Indian all-rounder Axar Patel remained unbeaten and contributed 20 runs from 15 balls.
For the visitors, spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and right-arm medium pacer Harshal Patel took two wickets each, while left-arm pacer Mictell Starc got one wicket.
"Yes.. that's a big possibility. Why not?," Kohli said when asked if he could sit out a match or two to avoid burnout.
"It's a personal responsibility. It is up to the players to give information on any niggle to the concerned people as soon as possible and work as per plan," he said.
Kohli was speaking on the eve of the Indian Premier League opener between his team Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings.
"We have told the players to be smart about how they feel on a particular day and then reporting to the physios. If he's told not to play, then he has to respect that."
With the IPL, which begins Saturday, culminating days before the World Cup, there has been a lot of talk about managing the workload of the players during the next two months.
Asked if the workload issue will affect the league, the RCB captain said it will depend on how the players strike a balance.
"At the end of the day, I am very motivated to start tomorrow personally.. I don't know how competitive or how relaxed indian players are going to be during the IPL. Every professional knows how to maintain a balance. Eventually you are playing for a franchise and they have trusted you to do a job for them.
"Till the time you play, you have to give 120 per cent. when you don't play, you don't. I don't believe in playing 75-80 per cent. That's the mindset I carry. I am sure the guys are going to be smart about it. They are going to choose wisely through the tournament. It is not forced on them. They said we are going to be careful," he added.
Kohli said the talent of his team's domestic players would be on display when RCB takes on CSK.
"Not many people are aware of the strengths of some of the Indian guys we possess in our team. And that's one area we want to focus on. In the past, the focus was always been on getting strong overseas players," he said.
"This time around, guys from the domestic circuit are really confident. Tomorrow you will see the kind of bowling options and depth we carry.
RCB haven't beaten CSK since 2014 but Kohli made it clear that he doesn't believe in rivalries and head-to-head records.
"I don't believe in head to head and rivalries. In T20 it is anyone's game really. Some teams we have done really well against. Some teams like CSK we haven't won in the last six games," he said.
"It is no like you focus only on playing those teams and not focus on teams you have lost against. Opposition this year doesn't matter for us. It is the vision we have and kind of cricket we want to play as a side and we will focus on that," he added.
"The estimated cost of hosting an IPL opening ceremony is Rs 20 crore. It was unanimously decided that a sum of Rs 11 crore be contributed to the Indian Army, Rs 7 crore to the CRPF and Rs 1 crore each to the Navy and Air Force respectively," the board said in a statement on Saturday.
Throwing light on the matter, CoA Chairman, Vinod Rai said: "As a federation, we felt it was best not to hold a regular IPL opening ceremony. Instead, we decided to contribute the amount towards a cause that is so important and close to everyone's heart."
Diana Edulji, another member of the CoA, said: "This comes as a welcome move and as a mark of respect to the ones who lost their lives in the terror attack. The BCCI has always been sensitive towards issues of national interest and will continue to make contributions whenever the need arises."
Earlier on Wednesday, Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) team director Rakesh Singh had also announced that ticket proceeds of their IPL 2019 opener against Royal Challengers Bangalore will go towards the families of the victims of the Pulwama terror attack.
"I never expected the wicket to play how it actually played and it was too slow and it just reminded me of the 2011 Champions League wicket. After the IPL, we came back and we had a really good season, the wicket got relaid and all of a sudden we found it very difficult," Dhoni said after the game on Saturday.
"I feel if the wicket stays like this, it will be tough for us also. The wicket definitely needs to be a lot better than where it is right now, even with dew it was still spinning big. I feel it needs to be high-scoring, even the opposition would have known that it was a slow wicket.
"Something close to 140-150 is something you are looking at. 80, 90, 100 or 120 is really low-scoring and if you have genuine spinners in your line-up it's very difficult to score runs. I feel the wicket needs to be much better than how it is now."
Dhoni said that he wasn't expecting the wicket to play the way it did.
"No not really, I wasn't sure about the wicket. We played a practice match on the same wicket and it was not turning so much. It was slightly a high scoring match, but usually in practice matches there's a tendency we score 30 runs more than a normal match.
"Because of that reason we thought if we win the toss we will put the opposition in and also there's fair amount of dew," he explained.
The skipper said that the biggest issue with a wicket like this was if Chennai ended up losing the toss because even the CSK batsmen would then at time have to bat first and there are players in the line-up who like to score freely.
"We need to score runs as well, ours is a batting attack where batsmen like to play their shots and you can't control the toss which means that we might have to bat first in matches as well. If the wicket gets slightly better it might be a completely different scenario and the opposition, the kind of spinners they have got it will be difficult to score runs.
"If you want to be consistently good I don't think this is the wicket that will really suit us," he added.
Commenting on the brilliant performance from Man of the Match Harbhajan Singh, Dhoni said he was really pleased with the job done by the senior player.
"We have communicated it really well to all the players as to what are the scenarios they'll feature in and in which conditions. That will keep changing according to the opposition and the condition as well, mentally they are ready and up for it because it is slightly difficult to adjust to that but we have actually told them quite before that this is the shuffling that may or may not happen as the tournament progresses.
"Harbhajan's is one slot and we might shuffle it around. He would never mind bowling on such wickets whether its in the middle overs or in the powerplay and today the other spinners capitalised on the start we got," he said.
But trying to remain positive despite the result on Saturday, Kohli said that it was good to get a loss like this out of the way early in the tournament. Having scored just 70 runs after losing the toss and batting first, Kohli's men saw Chennai chase down the target in the 18th over of the innings.
He revealed that the idea was to take the game as deep down as possible after a poor start with the bat.
"No one wants to start like this, but it's good to get a game like this out of the way - this early in the tournament. We spoke of trying to be in the game, taking it to the 18th over was nice to see."
While one would think it was a poor reading of the wicket that saw RCB play three frontline pacers in Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Navdeep Saini, but Kohli backed the decision and said that the wicket looked much better than it played.
"The batting wasn't good, it wasn't easy to bat on, looked much better surface though. I thought 140-150 would have been an ideal score, especially with dew expected later on. A scrappy start to the league, but I don't think either team had control over it, the pitch was under the covers for 4 days, but we should have batted better, 110-120 would have been a fighting score," he said.
But one RCB player who impressed was Saini. His pace was disconcerting and he even hit CSK opener Shane Watson on the helmet in one over. Even though he finished wicket-less, Saini impressed all.
"He has been good in conditions where there's some grass, got his chance now. He will play a big role in the time to come. I thought CSK played really well, they deserved to win, but I loved to see our team fighting all the way," Kohli added.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has now asked the IPL franchises to prepare sporting wickets for the rest of the tournament.
Speaking to IANS, a senior BCCI official said that while the board doesn't interfere with the wickets prepared during the popular T20 league, it should not be heavily tilted towards either the batsmen or the bowlers.
"The franchises have the freedom to prepare wickets without the interference of the BCCI, but the wickets should be sporting and not heavily titled in favour of either the batsmen or bowlers," the official said.
Speaking after the game, Dhoni had said: "I never expected the wicket to play the way it did. It was too slow and it just reminded me of the 2011 Champions League wicket. After the IPL, we came back and we had a really good season, but the wicket got relaid and all of a sudden we found it very difficult.
"I feel if the wicket stays like this, it will be tough for us also. The wicket definitely needs to be a lot better than where it is right now. Even with dew, it was still spinning big. I feel it needs to be high-scoring, even the opposition would have known that it was a slow wicket."
"Something close to 140-150 is something you are looking at. 80, 90, 100 or 120 is really low-scoring and if you have genuine spinners in your line-up, it's very difficult to score runs. I feel the wicket needs to be much better than how it is now," Dhoni had said.
Echoing Dhoni's sentiments,
Kohli had said: "It wasn't easy to bat on, though it looked a much better surface. I thought 140-150 would have been an ideal score, especially with dew expected later on.
"The pitch was under covers for four days, but we should have batted better. 110-120 would have been a fighting score."
Joseph has featured in nine Tests and 16 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) for the West Indies so far. This will be his first appearance in the IPL 2019.
Mumbai Indians will face the Royal Challengers Bangalore in their second game in Bangalore on Thursday.
MI had an injury scare even in their opening game against Delhi Capitals when Jasprit Bumrah hurt his shoulder while trying to stop a ball on his follow through, but it was later revealed that it was a case of shoulder spasm and the pacer is fit to play against RCB.
Considering his role in the national team, Team India physio Patrick Farhart had met MI physio Nitin Patel to discuss the nature of injury and the gravity of the situation.
Bangalore: In a match going down the wire, an unlucky Royal Challengers Bangalore lost a thrilling Indian Premier League (IPL) contest to Mumbai Indians on Thursday by just six runs despite an all-out effort by AB de Villiers.
With de Villers (70 unbeaten off 41) on song, it looked Bangalore would overhaul the 188-run target well in time but Mumbai held its nerves to snatch their first win in this year's league.
de Villers, who knocked four boundaries and six hits into the stands, utilised the lifeline given to him well, as he was dropped by Yuvraj at slips in the very first delivery he faced.
Chasing the challenging target, Bangalore openers Moeen Ali (13 off 7) and Parthiv Patel started cautiously, putting up 17 runs in the initial three overs.
However, a brilliant direct hit by Rohit Sharma sent Ali back in the dug-out. Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli and Patel were then involved in a 40-run partnership, helping Bangalore cross the 50-run mark before Mayank Markande struck to get rid of the opener in the seventh over.
Kohli and de Villiers then anchored Bangalore's innings with some sensible shots and it seemed the duo would comfortably guide their team home. But Jasprit Bumrah came in as a major relief for the visitors, dismissing a good-going Kohli on 46.
Meanwhile, Kohli also became the second player in the league's history to amass 5,000 runs.
Bangalore then lost Shimron Hetmyer cheaply (5), but de Villers kept one end intact and also notched up his 29th IPL half-century.
With the required run-rate rising as Bangalore needed 72 from the last six overs, the South African star shifted gears and started hitting Mumbai bowlers all around the park.
With 17 required from final over, nothing went right for Mumbai as Shivam Dube clobbered Lasith Malinga for a maximum in the first delivery before Bumrah dropped the Bangalore batsman at point. However, Dube and de Villers failed to guide their team home as Bangalore fell six runs short.
For Mumbai, Bumrah (3/20) was the pick of the bowlers while Markande scalped one.
Earlier, some valuable top-order contributions followed by Hardik Pandya's blitzkrieg helped Mumbai post a challenging 187/8 even as leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal shined for the hosts with a four-wicket haul.
Mumbai were looking good with the scoreboard reading 52/0 after six overs, but Chahal's arrival changed the scenario as the leggie returned with impressive figures of 4/38 before Hardik's (32 not out off 14) cameo brought Mumbai back into the game.
Put into bat, the visitors were off to a decent start, thanks to skipper Rohit (48 off 33) and Quinton de Kock (23 off 20). However, as soon as Kohli introduced Chahal in the seventh over, the spinner removed de Kock to put breaks on the 54-run opening stand.
Rohit and Suryakumar Yadav then tried to stablise the Mumbai innings, adding 33 runs for the second wicket before Umesh Yadav delivered a major breakthrough by dismissing the well-settled Mumbai skipper.
It was then up to Yuvraj Singh and Suryakumar to put things back in control and the duo succeeded a bit, adding 37 runs. Yuvraj, who tried his best to up the ante with a 12-ball 23, couldn't stay long in the middle as Chahal applied brakes on the veteran's inning with the Mumbai scoreboard reading 124/3 in 13.4 overs.
Before his dismissal, Yuvraj smashed Chahal for three consecutive sixes. However, the spinner had the last laugh.
Chahal looked unstoppable as he soon sent back Suryakumar for 38. The Mumbai middle-order then witnessed a collapse with Kieron Pollard (5), Krunal Pandya (1) and Mitchell McClenaghan (1) departing in quick succession with 147 runs on board after 17.1 overs.
However, Hardik's lusty blows towards the end of innings helped the visitors post a fighting total.
Apart from Chahal, Umesh and Mohammed Siraj picked two wickets each.
Brief Score: Mumbai Indians 187/8 (Rohit Sharma 48, Suryakumar Yadav 38, Hardik Pandya 32*; Yuzvendra Chahal 4/38) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore (AB de Villiers 70 not out, Virat Kohli 46; Jasprit Bumrah 3/20) by 6 runs.
A senior STAR official told IANS that the umpire wasn't even looking at the landing point of the bowler's front foot.
The Star official, who went through the feed of the match, revealed that Ravi was looking at the batsman when Malinga reached the bowling crease.
"Having gone through the slow motion replay of the match feed, I can tell you for certain that Ravi wasn't even looking at the front foot of the bowler. He was already looking at the batsman," the official said.
Commenting on this howler, a senior BCCI executive said that the practice was being followed by most Indian umpires these days as they look to check the legality of the delivery in case a batsman is out.
"The old habit of first looking at the bowler's foot at the point of delivery and then looking towards the batsman is being ignored by most Indian umpires these days. They just look at the line where the ball is pitching and take it from there. If a batsman is dismissed, they go up to the third umpire and check for the no-ball," the executive told IANS.
A BCCI functionary confirmed that the matter was being looked into by Team IPL - the governing council has been disbanded by the Committee of Administrators - and the howler would be taken into account when umpire evaluation is done at the end of the group stage.
"Team IPL has noted the matter and this will definitely be taken into consideration when evaluation is done at the end of the group phase. It won't be too surprising if Ravi loses out on matches in the playoffs," the functionary said.
Both RCB skipper Virat Kohli and MI captain Rohit Sharma made their displeasure known. In fact, Rohit went on to add that the third ball of the 19th over from Jasprit Bumrah was unfairly called a wide by umpire Nandan.
"I just got to know when we crossed the rope. Somebody just told me it was a no-ball. These kind of mistakes are not good for cricket, it's pretty simple. The over before that Bumrah bowled a ball which wasn't a wide. Those are game-changers. There's a TV up there, they have to watch what's happening. It is as simple as that," he said.
Kohli was expectedly livid: "We are playing at the IPL level and not playing club cricket. The umpires should have had their eyes open. That is a ridiculous call (last ball). If it is a game of margins, I don't know what is happening. They should have been more sharp and careful out there."
(Story By Baidurjo Bhose)
Leg-spinner Gopal (3/12) snared three wickets in his three overs to reduce RCB to 73/3 from a steady 49/0 and they could only manage 158/4 in 20 overs after being asked to bat first.
Chasing a modest 159 for victory, Buttler (59; 43b; 8x4 1x6) made the most of a reprieve when he was dropped on 7 by RCB skipper Virat Kohli in the second over to bring up his seventh fifty in the last ten IPL games while Smith -- dropped thrice -- scored a 31-ball 38 before finally holing out to Umesh Yadav at long on off Mohammed Siraj.
Yuzvendra Chahal (2/17) was the pick of the bowlers for RCB as he got the wickets of Royals' captain Ajinkya Rahane (22) and Buttler but it was too little too late as Rahul Tripathi (34 off 23 not out) hit a six off the penultimate ball of the innings to take his team home.
Royals needed five in the final over and as much as it looked like they would make heavy weather of a simple chase, Tripathi pulled Umesh for a maximum to complete the formalities with one run needed in two balls.
RCB, thus, succumbed to their fourth straight loss to stay rock-bottom in the points table while Royals registered their first win.
Earlier, Gopal was given the ball in the seventh over and the leg-spinner first broke skipper Kohli (23; 25b; 3x4) and Parthiv Patel's 49-run partnership for the opening wicket, then cut short AB de Villiers and Shimron Hetymer's stay at the crease in his next two overs as the visitors were reduced to 73/3 in 10.1 overs.
Patel top-scored for RCB with a patient 41-ball 67 -- his knock laced with nine fours and a six -- while Marcus Stoinis was unbeaten on 31 off 28 balls and Moeen Ali played a nine-ball 18 run cameo to help the struggling outfit post a competitive total.
Patel and Stoinis joined hands for a 53-run stand for the fourth wicket.
In the final over, Jofra Archer (1/47) leaked 17 runs with Ali smashing him for a six and a four as RCB managed to score 51 runs in the last five overs.
RCB were off to a good start as Kohli looked in positive frame of mind from ball one, working K. Gowtham through midwicket for a couple of runs.
Facing most of the deliveries in the early stages, Kohli was looking good when Patel joined him to welcome Archer by hitting him for three fours in the fifth over.
At the end of six overs, RCB were 48/0, but just after the Powerplay, Gopal removed Kohli with a superb googly that beat the right-hander all ends up to crash into the stumps through the gate.
Gopal did not stop, sending the other 'big fish' de Villiers back in the hut in the ninth over for just 13 with another wrong' un that stopped on the batsman forcing him to punch the ball back to the bowler.
Gopal then accounted for Hetmyer (1) as well two overs later, the big-hitting West Indian failing to read another googly that turned away from him to take the outside edge for Buttler to complete a sharp catch behind the stumps.
Patel and Stoinis tried to steady the ship from there on with the Australian struggling to get going. Patel tried his best to drag the team to a fighting total but holed out to Rahane at long on off Archer in the 18th over, looking to up the ante.
From then on, Stoinis and Moeen hit a few boundaries to end on a high.
Brief scores: Royal Challengers Bangalore 158/4 (Parthv Patel 67; Shreyas Gopal 3/12); Rajasthan Royals 164/3 in 19.5 overs (Jos Buttler 59, Steve Smith 38, Rahul Tripathi 34 not out; Yuzvendra Chahal 2/17).
"Of course a Mankading has to be in the laws of the game because a batsman can't just run halfway down the pitch trying to get a headstart," Buttler told ESPNcricinfo.
"But I do think the way the law is written, there is a bit of a grey area in that saying 'when a bowler is expected to release the ball'. That is a bit of a wishy-washy statement."
England batsman Buttler was 'Mankaded' by Kings XI Punjab captain R Ashwin at a crucial moment in the match that Rajasthan went on to lose. The manner of the dismissal created ripples across the cricketing fraternity and beyond, with many former greats of the game lambasting the Indian off-spinner for breaching the 'spirit of the game'.
Buttler said it set 'a bad precedent at the start of the tournament'.
"At the time I was really disappointed with it. I didn't like the style of it. I just thought it was a bad precedent at the start of the tournament. For the tournament itself. It was a really disappointing way to start the tournament," he said.
The current wording of Law 41.16 states: "If the non-striker is out of his/her ground at any time from the moment the ball comes into play until the instant when the bowler would normally have been expected to release the ball, the non-striker is liable to be run out".
In the case of Buttler's dismissal, that key phrase 'expected release' was a major factor in his downfall.
The MCC, which initially said it was not against the spirit of the game, later backtracked on its statement, saying the act was not right.
"If you look at the footage, probably the wrong decision was made because at the time he was expected to release the ball I was in my crease," Buttler said.
"What was more disappointing is that suddenly, over the next two games, I found myself being really conscious of it and it is quite distracting," he said. "It is so rare that you're not normally thinking about it. I must be the only person to get out twice in that way.
"It distracted me for the next couple of games which is why it was nice to get some runs in the win and get back to thinking about batting and not worrying about how I back up at the non-striker's end."
Since the incident, Buttler, who had made six half-centuries in his seven previous IPL innings prior to that, managed two single-figure scores against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings. The 28-year old then returned to form with an innings of 59 from 43 balls against Royal Challengers Bangalore, helping Royals script their first win of the season.
"We all know what type of a game RCB has got and four games down doesn't mean that they are down and out," Chawla told reporters on the eve of their match at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
"We know the quality of players they have, they are going to bounce back. They will come even more hard at us. We have to prepare in that way and play some good cricket to beat them," the 30-year old leg-spinner said.
RCB are yet to win a match this season with the likes of skipper Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers failing to deliver. In their last game against fellow laggards Rajasthan Royals, RCB were guilty of dropping numerous catches which proved to be their bane at the end.
Chasing 129, SRH won by 5 wickets with nine balls to spare.
The start from the opening pair of Bairstow and David Warner set the platform for the rest of the batting. Looking to hit everything out of sight, Bairstow put SRH off to a flyer as they reached 62/0 in the first six overs.
Even though SRH lost Bairstow and Warner (10) in quick succession, Vijay Shankar and Manish Pandey settled down to ensure that the scoreboard kept ticking.
However, Pandey (10) and Shankar (16) too fell in quick succession to once again raise the hopes of the Delhi players. However, it was too late in the day as Mohammad Nabi (17*) and Yusuf Pathan (9*) took SRH home. Nabi finished things off in style with a six over third man.
Earlier, visiting skipper Bhuvneshwar Kumar won the toss and put DC in. The SRH bowlers started well, stifling the home team batsmen on a wicket which wore a typical low and slow look.
Mohammad Nabi (2/21) and Rashid Khan (1/18) made full use of the conditions as the DC batsmen failed to read the two Afghanistan spinners.
Prithvi Shaw looked to start aggressively as he hit Bhuvneshwar for a boundary off the first ball of the match. But the SRH skipper had the last laugh as he sent Shaw's (11) stumps for a walk in the third over of the DC innings.
After that it was all about spinning a web around the DC batsmen as Nabi (opening the bowling with Bhuvneshwar) sent back Shikhar Dhawan (12). The struggle of the Delhi batsmen was reflected on the scoreboard as they managed just 36 runs for the loss of two wickets in the Powerplay.
Star batsman Rishabh Pant (5) fell while trying to up the ante as Deepak Hooda picked up a smart catch at long-off off Nabi with the scoreboard reading 52/3. Skipper Shreyas Iyer did try to wage a battle, but he didn't find much support from the other end.
Iyer (43 off 41 balls) was finally cleaned up by Rashid as the leg-spinner was finally rewarded with a wicket for his quality effort. All-rounder Chris Morris tried to wield the long handle, but could only manage 17 off 15 balls as DC scored 24 runs off the last two overs with Axar Patel finishing with a six off the final delivery.
Brief scores
Delhi Capitals: 129/8 in 20 overs (Shreyas Iyer 43, Axar Patel 23 not out; Mohammad Nabi 2/21, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2/27) lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad: 131/5 in 18.3 overs (Jonny Bairstow 48, Mohammad Nabi 17 not out; Rahul Tewatia 1/10, Axar Patel 1/18) by 5 wickets.
Well played boys @KKRiders @lynny50 @NitishRana_27 @robbieuthappa . Each one in the team did so well but you all will agree all words of praise r worth less than this picture... pic.twitter.com/bak2zQ9NqD
— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) April 5, 2019
And here's how elated Twitterati responded to King Khan's tweet.
You are the King, my Love. And all the King's men we Rule. Our boys will do anything but snatch win for you to make you smile. We Rule. ??? This is a Battle and we are the Ultimate Conqueror ?#KKRHaiTaiyaar pic.twitter.com/sMRHSCi7Ur
— ♡ Sнαн Kι Bιωι ♡ (@JacyKhan) April 5, 2019
??? pic.twitter.com/eBIkq867ya
— Javed (@JoySRKian_) April 5, 2019
2nd innings of #RCBvKKR pic.twitter.com/tMaTFQLCbf??? #KKRHaiTaiyaar
— Tᴏᴜʜᴇᴇᴅ ♠ᴰᵉᵛ (@iamSrkfanking) April 5, 2019
— Abdullah Ahmad Siddiqui (@AbdullahSrkAhmd) April 5, 2019
@iamsrk ?? pic.twitter.com/SPN0bdO0hN
— Tᴏᴜʜᴇᴇᴅ ♠ᴰᵉᵛ (@iamSrkfanking) April 6, 2019
Needing 66 runs off 24 balls against RCB, KKR were up against it before Russell came in and smashed an unbeaten 48 off 13 balls to complete the job with five balls to spare. His knock comprised seven sixes and one four.
Russell's brutal hitting came after Virat Kohli (84 off 49) and AB de Villiers (63 off 32) recreated their "magic" with a delightful 108-run stand to take RCB to 205 for three.
KKR were kept alive in the chase through opener Chris Lynn (43 off 31), Robbie Uthappa (33 off 25) and Nitish Rana (37 off 23) before Russell singlehandedly got the job done in the death overs.
(With PTI inputs)
Taking to Instagram, Steyn wrote: "Ahhh, what's this little surprise."
[caption id="attachment_363738" align="alignnone" width="750"] Pic Credit: Instagram[/caption]
With RCB losing six games on the trot and Nathan Coulter-Nile yet to play a game, it could be a case that the Australian pacer is injured and Steyn is flying in as a replacement.
Romsha, one of Virat Kohli's fans wrote: "RCB fans are sticking to whatever little ray of hope they can stick to. Right now, it is Dale Steyn's IG story!"
Another cricket fan looked at the funny side as he wrote: "Dale Steyn has been getting smacked in the death overs on a regular basis since his comeback. So it's only fitting that RCB sign him."
RCB fans have been very vocal and a couple of weeks back tore into Virat Kohli and team after their humiliating loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad. They took to social media to make their displeasure known as RCB is yet to win a game in the 12th edition of the cash-rich league.
Naveen Shetti, one of the fans, wrote on Twitter: "Someone please sack @imVkohli from RCB. This shameless captain doesn't believe in his team, he needs only personal publicity. The result of which we are seeing today defeat after defeat. @imVkohli have some shame man and hear from outsider @GautamGambhir."
Rakshit Anil Kumar echoed the sentiments and said: "I wonder how did RCB cross 100? I was expecting a 40-50 all out. Sack @imVkohli captaincy! Every RCBian is ridiculed for the 3d year continuously since 2017. Worst team selection absolute no brainer captaincy. Stop talking abt bowlers, where are the batters?"
Interestingly, it was former Kolkata and Delhi skipper Gautam Gambhir who had first started this debate on Kohli's captaincy and had said that the India skipper was lucky to still be at the helm at RCB.
"I don't see him (Kohli) as a shrewd captain or a tactful captain. And he hasn't won the IPL. So ultimately a captain is only as good as his record till the time you don't win the IPL," Gambhir had said.
"He has been part of RCB and captaining RCB for the last seven to eight years and he has been very lucky and should rather thank the franchise that they stuck to him because not many captains have got such a long run where they haven't won a tournament."
There were quite a few memes as well as the fans seem to have had enough of RCB failing to rise to the challenges of winning the IPL.
As it was his team's first offence of the season under the IPL's Code of Conduct relating to minimum over-rate offences, Kohli was fined Rs 12 lakh on Saturday.
Bottom-placed RCB finally ended their winning draught in the ongoing season as Kohli's scintillating 53-ball 67 followed by AB de Villiers (59* off 38) and Marcus Stoinis' (28* off 16) fruitful knocks guided them to a thumping eight-wicket victory over KXIP at the I.S. Bindra Stadium.
It was the 85-run stand between Kohli and de Villers before the South African got involved in a match-winning 46-run partnership with Stoinis which handed Bangalore a much needed win.
Defending 174, Punjab bowlers not only failed in getting wickets but also leaked runs as the visitors crossed the line with four balls to spare.
Earlier Chris Gayle played a magnificent knock and finished unbeaten on 99 as he managed just a boundary off the last ball of the innings from Mohammed Siraj.
While the losing captain is interviewed right after the game, the winning captain is interviewed during the presentation ceremony and Kohli said it felt nice to return to the ground for the interview rather than being interviewed right after the game on Saturday.
"Most pleasing thing is coming for an interview at this time, and not immediately out of the field. Great feeling to get across the line. Have been unlucky in couple of games. Won't say we've been unlucky in every game, but a couple of games we should've closed out before this. After so many setbacks, the guys had desire. That's one word we spoke about," he said.
Commenting on how the game panned out, Kohli said: "We thought 190 will be par and to restrict them to 170 was a great effort. To pick up four wickets in eight overs in the middle for 60 runs was an outstanding effort. We knew Chris was going to bat deep.
"So many opportunities to get dot balls. We knew if we bowled decently to him, we might restrict them."
Former KXIP star Marcus Stoinis put in a quality effort for RCB with a 16-ball 28 and said that maybe his love for playing at the I.S. Bindra Stadium in Mohali could be a reason why he managed to handle the pressure situation well at the end of the innings.
"Maybe, really enjoyed playing here (grins). I said to him (AB), that he is probably the best player of our generation and he showed it today. (On RCB finally getting a win) Yes, I was telling Gary (Kirsten) that I had brought two points for the side after my recent trip and we got it today (chuckles).
"The main difference tonight was that our bowlers came back well, which is key in this format. We kept coming back with the ball and then got partnerships with the bat. (On every game being a knockout) It is, but for now, we can't get too ahead of ourselves," he added.
Despite a great start, Mumbai faltered during the slog overs but Pandya rescued his side as they clinched the contest with an over to spare.
Chasing a competitive 172 for victory, Rohit Sharma (28 off 19) and Quinton de Kock gave a perfect start to Mumbai's innings, taking them to 52 for no loss in the initial five overs.
Moeen Ali was the first to strike as his off-break delivery clattered Sharma's stumps, leaving Mumbai at 70/1 in the eighth over.
Just three balls later, Ali once again jolted the hosts as he picked de Kock (40 off 26) in front of the wickets.
Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav then forged a 33-run partnership as they repaired the major damage but Yuzvendra Chahal packed both of them back in short time to leave Mumbai reeling at 129/3 in the 16th over.
It seemed Mumbai would suffer a batting collapse but it was Pandya who made sure to help his team cross the line as the all-rounder and his brother Krunal Pandya (11 off 21) took Mumbai to 148 before the latter became a victim of Mohammed Siraj.
With 22 needed off the last couple of overs, Pandya showed his cameo with the bat as he smashed Pawan Negi for the required runs in just an over to help Mumbai register their fifth win this season.
For Bangalore, Chahal and Ali picked couple of wickets each.
Earlier, AB de Villiers' scintillating knock (75 off 51) with Ali's 50 off 32 propelled Bangalore to 171/7.
Despite some early blows, de Villiers and Ali anchored Bangalore's innings with a valiant 105-run partnership for the third wicket before Lasith Malinga (4/31) rattled the middle order.
The visitors lost their skipper Virat Kohli (8) with just 12 runs on board. Kohli was trying to force a Jason Behrendorff delivery through the off-side, got cramped, and ended up giving an inside edge to de Kock behind the wickets.
Parthiv Patel (28) showed some resistance, taking his side near the 50-run mark before he was sent back by Hardik Pandya in the seventh over. De Villiers was then joined by Ali and the duo denied the hosts any further wicket, anchored the innings and took the team past the 100 run mark.
Enroute, they also notched up their respective half-centuries with the team looking comfortable at 144/2 in 17 overs.
Malinga finally shattered the partnership by packing Ali back in the 18th over. The Sri Lankan pacer went on to rock the lower middle order, sending back Marcus Stoinis (0), Akshdeep Nath (2) and Negi (0) to the hut in quick succession.
De Villers finally departed trying to convert a single as he fell short of the crease. The South African superstar's knock was laced with six boundaries and four maximums.
Behrendorff and Pandya also picked a wicket each.
Brief scores:
Mumbai Indians: 172/5 in 19 overs (Quinton de Kock 40, Hardik Pandya 37 not out; Moeen Ali 2/18) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore: 171/7 in 20 overs (AB de Villiers 75, Moeen Ali 50; Lasith Maling 4/31) by 5 wickets.
In desperate need of a win to keep their slim playoff chances alive, Kohli took 58 balls to bring up his fifth ton of the IPL and first this season with the help of nine fours and four sixes after Moeen Ali gave the much needed oxygen to their innings with a whirlwind 28-ball 66 (4x5, 6x6).
This was Kohli's first hundred since 2016 when he had dragged the team out of a hole with four centuries in a record-shattering performance which yielded 973 runs from 16 matches as RCB finished as runners-up.
Kohli and Ali added 90 runs for the third wicket off just 43 balls as RCB posted 213/4 after being only 70/2 at the halfway stage.
Chasing a stiff 214 for victory, Rana (79 off 45 not out; 9x4, 4x6) and Russell (65 off 25 balls; 2x4; 9x6) stitched together a 118-run partnership off 48 balls to take the match till the last over.
Ali was handed the final over with 24 needed. Rana could manage just one run off the first two balls but brought back Russell to the strike. The West Indies allrounder then smashed a six but was run out in the penultimate ball to end KKR's hopes. Rana hit a six in the last ball but it was too late.
KKR were reduced to 79/4 with comeback man Dale Steyn -- playing for RCB after nine years -- accounting for Chris Lynn (1) and Shubman Gill (9). Navdeep Saini removed Sunil Narine (18) while Robin Uthappa (9) got out to Marcus Stoinis.
Russell, braving a shoulder injury, then kept KKR in the game with Rana also giving him able company as KKR posted 203/5 in 20 overs.
The pair took the likes of Steyn (2/40), Saini 1/31) and Yuzvendra Chahal 0/450 to the cleaners but in the end, fell just short.
The result saw rock-bottom RCB move to four points from nine matches while KKR slumped to their fourth successive defeat to further dent their playoff chances.
Put into bat, Kohli paced his innings to perfection, and got out on the last ball of the innings off Harry Gurney.
The India skipper, facing flak for his captaincy and the team's woeful performance, took 40 balls to reach his first 50 to then change gears and score the next 50 off just 17 deliveries.
The match swung in the 16th over when Kuldeep Yadav bled 27 runs with Ali going berserk, smashing the star India leggie for three sixes and two boundaries. The chinaman ended with figures of 1/59 in four overs. In the last five overs, RCB scored 91 runs to record their highest total of the season.
Brief scores: Royal Challengers Bangalore: 213/4 in 20 overs (Virat Kohli 100; Andre Russell 1/17); Kolkata Knight Riders: 203/5 in 20 overs (Nitish Rana 85 not out; Dale Steyn 2/40)
Defending champions CSK, who lost to SRH in the previous game for only their second loss this season, will get to 16 points with a win at the Chinnaswamy and it should be enough to guarantee a place in the top-four.
Their leader M S Dhoni missed the game against SRH due to a stiff back but will probably be fit for the game on Sunday.
"Probably he will play in the next game against RCB," stand-in skipper Suresh Raina had said after the loss to SRH.
Following the tournament opener between CSK and RCB in Chennai, both teams have had contrasting campaigns. While CSK have lived up to their reputation again, RCB continue to under-perform.
No doubt, RCB will be fired up after the win against KKR at Kolkata on Friday night when they finally managed to defend despite a brutal assault from Andre Russell and Nitish Rana. It was only their second win in nine games in the season so far though they it still kept them mathematically alive in the tournament.
RCB could also take a cue from a similar situation in 2016 when they had lost five of their first seven games, but ended up in the playoffs after winning six of their last seven matches.
In the absence of indisposed AB de Villiers on Friday, Virat Kohli took it all upon himself to post a big total and in the process scored his first century of the season. With AB expected to be back, RCB will be aiming to please their loyal fans with a victory at last on their home ground.
Despite the arrival of Dale Steyn, their bowling remains a worry as it was evident at the Eden Gardens where Russell and Rana almost pulled off the impossible after KKR needed 113 off the last six overs. The hosts just fell short by 10 runs as Moeen Ali saved the day for RCB with both bat and ball, having defended 24 in the final over.
On the the other hand, CSK will fancy themselves against RCB and sail into the play-offs. Dhoni, who has scored 230 runs in eight games including two half-centuries, will hold the key once again.
The star bowler for CSK this season has been 40-year-old Imran Tahir, who has taken 13 wickets. The South African import has executed his skipper's plans brilliantly.
Squads
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli (captain), Parthiv Patel, AB de Villiers, Colin de Grandhomme, Umesh Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Moeen Ali, Shimron Hetmyer, Dale Steyn, Shivam Dube, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Devdutt Padikkal, Himmat Singh, Milind Kumar, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Heinrich Klaasen, Pawan Negi, Washington Sundar, Akshdeep Nath, Prayas Ray Barman, Kulwant Khejroliya, Tim Southee.
Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni (captain & WK), Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Murali Vijay, Kedar Jadhav, Sam Billings, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Shorey, Chaitanya Bishnoi, Rituraj Gaikwad, Dwayne Bravo, Karn Sharma, Imran Tahir, Harbhajan Singh, Mitchell Santner, Shardul Thakur, Mohit Sharma, K M Asif, Deepak Chahar, N Jagadeesan (wk), Scott Kuggeleijn.
Match starts 8pm.
Needing 113 runs off the last six overs, Russell (65 off 25) and Rana (85 not out off 46) almost got their team over the line but Moeen Ali managed to defend 24 in the final over.
The tense climax came after Virat Kohli smashed 100 off 58 balls for his fifth century in the IPL and first this season. RCB hammered 91 runs off the last five overs to reach 213 for four, their highest total this year.
In no time, Twitter was bombarded with hilarious memes. Here's a look at some of them:
Moeen Ali After Defending 24 Runs Against Russel.. #KKRvRCB pic.twitter.com/VAzTOjURQs
— Sohail Akhtar (@SohailA16671752) April 19, 2019
KKR: Kya tum play-offs mein qualify karoge?
RCB: pic.twitter.com/7bBBjU1dAN
— NaMo (Nayan Mongia ) (@Original_Namo) April 19, 2019
Virat Kohli right now. #KKRvRCB pic.twitter.com/aEeMHIvLbL
— Bollywood Gandu (@BollywoodGandu) April 19, 2019
KKR's team in IPL 2019. pic.twitter.com/CEA2Q2UO78
— Sagar (@sagarcasm) April 19, 2019
While Andre Russell is Batting
Bowlers:#KKRvRCB pic.twitter.com/5Yj2ReYYf2— Engineer_हूँ (@black_snake10) April 19, 2019
Meanwhile Andre Russell running behind Robin Uthappa in the dressing room:#KKRvRCB pic.twitter.com/77x31EnlSD
— Yash (@imyash19) April 19, 2019
Viratendre Kohlibali! pic.twitter.com/dkB4lqitft
— Nikhil ? (@CricCrazyNIKS) April 19, 2019
This what Uthappa did with KKR, while Russell n Rana were doing their job.#KKRvRCB pic.twitter.com/uu6DXvGLGI
— Anshuman (@Anshuman88m) April 19, 2019
Kohli haters right now : #KKRvRCB pic.twitter.com/EttLwYKSUz
— Anshuman (@Anshuman88m) April 19, 2019
Celebration With His Name #KingKohli #KKRvRCB pic.twitter.com/ed4alZHpKq
— Babu Bhaiya (@Shahrcasm) April 19, 2019
??? #KKRvRCB #GOT pic.twitter.com/oruYdlPZgt
— James (@James_Beyond) April 19, 2019
(With PTI inputs)
Dhoni achieved this feat during his sensational 84-run knock in Sunday's game against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) which CSK lost by only one run.
Chasing 162, CSK managed to score 160/8 in their full quota of 20 overs, thus succumbing to their second consecutive loss in the ongoing IPL.
Dhoni hit five fours and seven sixes during the course of his 48-ball inning, thus taking his overall IPL tally of maximums to 203. In the ongoing edition, the 37-year-old has so far hit 17 sixes.
Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina are next best Indian batsman in the list with both boasting of 190 sixes each in the IPL. RCB skipper RCB skipper Virat Kohli is not too far behind with 186 maximums to his name.
Overall, Chris Gayle has hit the maximum number of sixes in the IPL with a boasting number of 323, followed by AB de Villiers who has hit 204 maximums in the T20 tournament. Dhoni is third in the list.