Tezzbuzz Team
Tezzbuzz|12-04-2024
In the 25th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) faced off against Mumbai Indians (MI) in a thrilling contest. The match saw many impressive performances in all batting, bowling, and fielding departments. However, what resonated most with the fans was Virat Kohli‘s playful banter with the Wankhede crowd.
Asked to bat first, despite valiant half-centuries from Faf du Plessis (61), Rajat Patidar (50), and Dinesh Karthik (53), RCB’s batting started shakily, losing their first two wickets quickly. However, they recovered well to post a formidable total of 198/6. Unfortunately, their bowling attack faltered once again.
In contrast, MI’s batters dominated the chase. Suryakumar Yadav (52 off 19 balls, strike rate 274) and Ishan Kishan (69 off 34 balls, strike rate 203) capitalized on RCB’s bowling frailties, which conceded runs at an economy rate exceeding 10 per over. Only Akash Deep and Reece Topley managed wickets for RCB.
During MI’s chase in the second innings, the Wankhede crowd erupted in a playful chant of “Kohli ko bowling do!” as RCB’s bowlers faced a stiff challenge. With a cheeky reaction, Kohli acknowledged the crowd’s request. Interestingly, this isn’t the first time fans have made this demand. In the 2023 ODI World Cup at the same venue, the Wankhede crowd similarly urged Kohli to bowl. He even took the bowling attack against the Netherlands and went on to pick up a wicket.
jasprit bumrah was instrumental in restricting Royal Challengers Bangalore’s batting lineup. He picked up crucial wickets of key batters like Kohli, Faf and Mahipal Lomror. He also dismissed lower-order batsmen Saurav Chauhan and Vijaykumar Vyshak. His exceptional bowling performance, which included a five-wicket haul played a significant role in MI’s victory and earned him the Player of the Match award.