Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) started their IPL 2021 campaign on a positive note as they registered a nervy two-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians (MI) in Chennai on Friday (April 9).
Opting to bowl first, RCB restricted the defending champions to 159 in their allotted 20 overs on the back of Harshal Patel’s five-wicket haul (5-27).
Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya and Marco Jansen were the victims of Harshal as the right-arm pacer became the first-ever bowler to take a 5-fer against Mumbai Indians in the IPL.
Speaking after the game, RCB skipper Virat Kohli said Harshal will be their designated death bowler this season.
"Those last six overs for us with the ball were probably the best we've ever had. Harshal is relishing the role. He is going to be our designated death bowler. Very confident about what he wants to bring to the table and as a captain you want someone with that clarity," quoted Kohli at the post-match presentation ceremony.
"In T20 cricket that's all you ask from the bowler. And the wickets that he got weren't fluke wickets. He actually wanted the guys to hit the ball where he wanted them caught," he added.
In the chase, RCB rode on AB de Villiers’ brisk 48 off 27 balls to overhaul the target on the last delivery.
"Last time we won the first game we played as well. It was important to play against the strongest opposition to test the depth of your team. Everyone got involved, everyone's got game time," said Kohli.
Both teams struggled to get going in the middle overs and according to RCB skipper, it wasn’t an easy surface to bat on.
"Lot of options in the kitty which helped bring the game back. To be honest, the pitch was looking decent in the first half. I thought the dew might help, but as the ball got slower the ball got slower and the length ball got difficult to get away. That's why all those partnerships were crucial," said Kohli.
"It's not a ground where you can hit through the line unless the situation demands it. It's not going to be that momentum that you see in the IPL. especially in Chennai. The shot that Pollard got out to, invariably in Wankhede and a couple of other stadiums that's sailing into the stands," he further remarked.
Glenn Maxwell looked in good touch during his stay at the crease for 28-ball 39 while debutant Rajat Patidar (8 off 8 balls) failed to leave a mark.
"Maxi we wanted him to bat at 4. Rajat he's solid, an exciting prospect, plays spin well. We want Maxi to come in after a nice set u, but even if we lose early wickets he becomes a different player. You saw today, he's a different player with 10-15 balls behind him," said Kohli.
"Changed the momentum for us in the middle overs. It's a difficult one, AB is probably the only player who's so versatile and can do what he did on slow pitches today, so we have to understand," he further said.
"If there's a partnership on, you might see a totally different order. But in a tricky chase you want some options in the back end, where the opposition thinks it's not over till he gets out," he concluded.
RCB will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their next game on Wednesday (April 14).
(With ANI inputs)
