Ishan Kishan and Kieron Pollard were in fine form for Mumbai Indians as they pulled Rohit Sharma’s side from the brink against Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore. Ishan Kishan blasted two fours and nine sixes in his epic knock of 99 while Kieron Pollard was at his usual aggressive best as he smashed 60 off 24 balls. The 119-run stand helped Mumbai Indians level the score against Royal Challengers Bangalore, with Ishan Kishan painfully falling for 99 after hitting two sixes in the final over bowled by Isuru Udana.
Surprisingly, Ishan Kishan did not come out to bat in the Super Over and instead, Pollard and Hardik Pandya came out. Navdeep Saini bowled a brilliant Super Over and conceded just seven runs. Royal Challengers Bangalore held their nerve against Jasprit Bumrah and won on the final ball. In the post-match presentation, Rohit Sharma explained the reasons behind not sending the in-form of Kishan in the Super Over.
“He (Kishan) was drained out and was not comfortable. We thought we could send him but he was not feeling fresh. Hardik is somebody we trust to hit long balls, it is not coming off but we are confident he can pull things off for us,” Rohit Sharma said.
Luck needed in Super Over
Mumbai Indians started off poorly in their chase of 202 as they lost wickets at crucial intervals. However, Kishan cleared the boundary with ease and Pollard also chipped in with a brutal knock. Ishan Kishan’s knock of 99 was the third-highest by an uncapped Indian player in the history of the IPL behind Paul Valthaty and Manish Pandey and Rohit reserved high praise for Kishan.
“It was a great game of cricket. We were not in the game at all when we started off with the bat. Great innings by Ishan there and then Pollard was brilliant as usual for us. It is just that we couldn't start well, I thought we could chase 200 with the batting power we have. We didn't get the momentum in the first 6-7 overs and also lost three wickets. With Polly being there anything can happen, Ishan was also hitting it well so we had the belief that we would get there,” Rohit said.
In the Super Over, Mumbai Indians managed just seven runs and although Jasprit Bumrah tried, Royal Challengers Bangalore won the game on the last ball. Rohit Sharma said luck was needed. “I mean 7 runs you need to have luck on your side, we had to get wickets but there was also an unfortunate boundary. We came back really well and a lot of positives to take away from this game,” Rohit said.
