Maxwell, Patel’s hat-trick help RCB thrash Mumbai

Harshal Patel (centre) of RCB celebrates his hat-trick during the IPL match against the Mumbai Indians at the Dubai International Stadium yesterday. (Sportzpics for IPL)

• Jadeja cameo guides Chennai Super Kings win last-ball thriller against KKR Glenn Maxwell’s all-round show and a hat-trick by Harshal Patel helped Royal Challengers Bangalore hammer holders Mumbai Indians by 54 runs in the Indian Premier league yesterday. In the first match of the day, MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings beat Kolkata Knight Riders by two wickets in a last-ball thriller to move top of the eight-team table. Australia’s Maxwell held centre-stage in game two with a quickfire 56 guiding Bangalore to 165-6 and then his off-spin got two key wickets including skipper Rohit Sharma, for 43, to bowl out Mumbai for 111 in 18.1 overs in Dubai. Patel flattened Mumbai’s batting with his medium-pace bowling as he sent back Hardik Pandya (3), Kieron Pollard (7) and Rahul Chahar (0) to get his first IPL hat-trick and return figures of 4-17. Skipper Virat Kohli also played a key part as he went past 10,000 runs in T20 cricket with a six off Mumbai quick Jasprit Bumrah and become the fifth international batsman to achieve the feat. Kohli has been under the spotlight since announcing this month that he would step down as India’s T20 captain after the World Cup and the Bangalore captaincy after this IPL tournament. Kohli’s team are still searching for an IPL title as they revived their campaign with a win after three straight losses this pandemic-hit season. The star batsman (51) came all guns blazing after Bangalore were invited to bat first and took apart the bowlers, albeit with some luck through dropped catches on nought and 37. He put on key partnerships including a 68-run second-wicket stand with Srikar Bharat and then put on 51 runs with Maxwell. Maxwell used the reverse sweep to good effect and hit six fours and three sixes in his 37-ball knock. Bumrah took three wickets including Maxwell and AB de Villiers off successive deliveries to check the opposition but Bangalore’s total proved enough. In reply, Sharma and Quinton de Kock, who made 23, started strongly but the duo’s departure saw five-time champions Mumbai lose momentum and sink to their third straight loss. Earlier in Abu Dhabi, Ravindra Jadeja’s crucial cameo and 43 by Faf du Plessis against KKR helped Chennai Super Kings topple Delhi Capitals from the top of the table. Needing 26 off 12 deliveries while chasing 172 for victory, Chennai reached their target on the final ball to record their third straight win. The left-handed Jadeja, who made 22 off eight balls, smashed fast bowler Prasidh Krishna for two sixes and two fours in the 19th over to leave Chennai needing four to win off the final six balls. Spinner Sunil Narine bowled the 20th over and tried to defend four runs. He took two key wickets including Sam Curran, for four, and Jadeja to take the match to the final ball with the scores level. New man Deepak Chahar kept his calm to hit the winning run.