Bengaluru edge Mumbai in close IPL match as Bumrah returns from injury

ROYAL Challengers Bengaluru held off a late charge from Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya to register a 12-run win on Monday in the IPL, handing Mumbai their fourth loss in five matches and marking Jasprit Bumrah’s return to action.

Bumrah featured in the XI after recovering from a back injury that had kept him out since the final day of the fifth Test against Australia in Sydney three months ago.

Batting first at the Wankhede Stadium, Bengaluru reached 221-5, with Virat Kohli scoring 67 and captain Rajat Patidar adding 64. Mumbai’s chase ended at 209-9 despite a quick 42 off 15 balls from Hardik and a half-century by Tilak Varma.

Krunal Pandya, Hardik’s elder brother and a left-arm spinner for Bengaluru, bowled the final over with Mumbai needing 19 runs.

He took three wickets, including two off the first two balls, to seal the win. Krunal finished with figures of 4-45, and Bengaluru picked up their third win in four games.

Patidar, named player of the match, said, “This award goes to the bowling unit. It is not easy to stop any team, especially at this ground, and the way they have done it, was incredible.”

He added, “The way the fast bowlers executed their plans was amazing. The way KP (Krunal Pandya) bowled that last over, it was not easy and the way he bowled was amazing. The way he has shown the courage was fantastic.”

Mumbai slipped to 99-4, with Rohit Sharma dismissed for 17. Hardik and Varma then added 89 runs with a series of boundaries and sixes.

Varma was dismissed by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Josh Hazlewood removed Hardik in the 19th over to halt Mumbai’s momentum.

Yash Dayal also claimed two wickets, including Rohit and Suryakumar Yadav, who made 28.

Earlier, Hardik took two wickets while Bumrah returned figures of 0-29. Kohli and Patidar led Bengaluru’s strong batting performance.

“Having him (Bumrah) makes any team in the world very special,” Hardik said. “He came in and did his job, very happy to have him.”

Kohli lost opening partner Phil Salt on the second ball of the match to Trent Boult, but then shared a 91-run stand with Devdutt Padikkal, who hit 37 off 22 balls. Kohli reached his fifty in 29 balls with a six.

Padikkal was dismissed, but Kohli added 48 more runs with Patidar before Hardik struck twice in four deliveries to remove Kohli and Liam Livingstone, who was out for a duck.

Patidar and Jitesh Sharma then scored 69 runs off 27 balls. Jitesh remained unbeaten on 40 off 19 deliveries, which included two fours and four sixes. Bumrah bowled a disciplined final over.

(With inputs from AFP)