The first match of IPL 2021 between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore saw Harshal Patel becoming the first bowler to take five wickets against Mumbai Indians. He took five wickets for just 27 runs in his allotted four overs for RCB.
MI Batting Crumbles
Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to field first in the tournament opener of IPL 2021. It was not a pleasant start for the defending champions as they lost Rohit Sharma as a result of misunderstanding. Sharma was run out while his opening partner Chris Lynn missed half-century by one run. The top order struggled hard as none could stabilize the innings to set up a big target. Once Hardik Pandya was dismissed by Harshal Patel followed by Ishan Kishan, it almost looked like a procession.
Patel Misses Hattrick
Harshal Patel, the Royal Challengers Bangalore fast bowler ended up taking five wickets for just 27 runs in his four overs. This was the first time that a bowler could record a five-wicket haul against Mumbai Indians. He started by taking the wicket of Hardik Panyda, followed by Ishan Kishan. Then in the final over, he took the wickets of Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard in back-to-back deliveries but then missed the chance of hattrick. He delivered a slow yorker to dismiss Macro Jansen of the fourth ball of the over to achieve the feat. The way he started this season, fans should expect a good show from him in the coming days.
Meanwhile in Chennai, Mumbai Indians managed to set a target of 160 runs for Royal Challengers Bangalore. While it is still possible for the defending champions to restrict the Bangalore team from chasing down the same, their record of losing opening match for last eight IPL editions should make fans worried.
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