Royal Challengers Bengaluru sealed a dramatic last-ball win over Mumbai Indians in Raipur on Sunday, with Krunal Pandya producing the kind of batting effort that can swing a chase by itself. RCB began the run chase of 167 in trouble, slipping to 39 for 3 within 5.1 overs, but Krunal steadied the innings and then accelerated when it mattered, finishing with 73 from 46 deliveries. The all-rounder\u2019s wicket later gave Mumbai a fresh opening, yet Bengaluru managed to keep their composure until the final delivery, needing two runs off the last ball and getting exactly what they required.<\/p>\n
After the match, Rajat Patidar praised Krunal\u2019s impact and described the contest as one of the tightest of the day. \u201cI think it\u2019s normal now, but it was a very tight match overall. It was a great game, especially KP (Krunal Pandya). I think he\u2019s the man who\u2019s done it for the team,\u201d Patidar said.<\/p>\n
Krunal was promoted to bat at number five, and Patidar explained that the move was a deliberate team decision. \u201cI think it\u2019s our decision. I think we have discussed in team meetings and all. And we know the way he played. He played earlier also number five. But yeah, we wanted to give him an opportunity to go at number five and he has done pretty well,\u201d the captain said.<\/p>\n
Patidar also added that experience plays a key role when a side is under pressure. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of experience, you know. So that\u2019s why I think those players do it in the big stage and when the team is under pressure. I think it\u2019s unbelievable, I would say,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n
In the first innings, veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar continued to look in sensational rhythm for RCB, finishing with figures of 4 for 23. Patidar highlighted the pacer\u2019s control and the challenge posed by the surface. \u201cThe way he (Bhuvneshwar) controlled over the ball, his control over the ball, I think is super. And it\u2019s been difficult on a wicket that was two paced and variable bounce. I think it\u2019s very difficult to play him,\u201d the RCB captain said.<\/p>\n
The victory moved Bengaluru to the top of the points table. Even so, Patidar insisted the team was not fixated on standings and preferred to concentrate on executing their game plan. \u201cRight now we are not bothered about the table because our mantra is to play on our strengths and play good cricket rather than looking on the table. I think bowlers have done a tremendous job there. Restricting them on 166, and that was, I would say, easily chaseable,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Patidar then emphasized that RCB believed they could chase whatever the pitch offered, regardless of the situation. \u201cBut to be honest, I think we didn\u2019t deserve to win this match because we have a skillful batting lineup. So no matter how the situation and the pitch condition is, we are capable enough to chase those targets easily,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Royal Challengers Bengaluru sealed a dramatic last-ball win over Mumbai Indians in Raipur on Sunday, with Krunal Pandya producing the kind of batting effort that…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":8916,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"RCB vs MI: Krunal Pandya\u2019s 73 Fuels Last-Ball Win","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"RCB pull off a last-ball thriller vs MI in Raipur as Krunal Pandya\u2019s 73 sets the chase, but Bengaluru stays calm to clinch victory.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8917","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n