DUBAI: Paceman Jasprit Bumrah reached 100 wickets in the Indian Premier League on Wednesday with the key scalp of Virat Kohli and helped Mumbai Indians beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by five wickets.
Bumrah returned figures of 3-14 as holders Mumbai restricted Kohli’s Bangalore to 164 for six and the batsmen achieved their target in Abu Dhabi to close in on a play-off spot.
Suryakumar Yadav smashed an unbeaten 79 to steer Mumbai home in 19.1 overs as he hit the winning boundary with stand-in-skipper Kieron Pollard at the other end on four.
“Bumrah continues to keep standing up throughout the tournament’’, Pollard said after Mumbai’s eighth win this season.
“But again we have been playing total team cricket. Somebody is always there to pick up the slack.
“Imagine someone (Yadav) batting at that strike rate after two early wickets. Deep down inside he must be very very disappointed to not to have donned the blue for India.”
Table-toppers Mumbai are on 16 points from 12 games and need a win from their remaining two matches to confirm their place in the final four. Bangalore are second with 14 points.
Yadav kept calm despite wickets falling around him as he hit 10 fours and three sixes in his 43-ball knock that included a 51-run stand with Hardik Pandya who made 17.
Earlier Bangalore started off briskly with openers Devdutt Padikkal, who top-scored with 74, and Josh Philippe putting on 71 runs after being put into bat first.
Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal broke the stand with the wicket of Philippe for 33.
Bumrah, known as India’s yorker king, soon took over to send Kohli trudging back to the pavilion for nine and reach a century of IPL wickets in 89 matches.
He struck again twice in a maiden over to take his IPL wicket count to 102 including 20 this season, which is led by Delhi Capitals quick Kagiso Rabada who has 23 scalps.
Veteran Sri Lankan paceman Lasith Malinga is IPL’s leading bowler with 170 wickets despite pulling out of this virus-hit season due to family commitments.
Pollard bowled just one over of his medium pace but got the prized scalp of in-form AB de Villiers for 15.
“I am big on match-ups in a way. I also watch a lot of cricket. I took a punt and bowled at AB,” said Pollard.
“I could have waited for the last over but if someone has to go for runs I thought I’d take it.” — AFP
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