Sunday’s Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians featured an outstanding half-century from star batsman Virat Kohli, who appeared to be in fantastic form. With the aid of six fours and five sixes, Kohli appeared to be in incredible form as he slammed 82 off just 49 deliveries. He became the first Indian cricketer to accomplish the remarkable achievement with his 50th 50-plus score in the IPL. David Warner, the Delhi Capitals’ starting pitcher, leads the list overall with 60. With 49, Shikhar Dhawan, the captain of the Punjab Kings, is third overall. At the moment, Kohli has 45 fifty-sevens and five hundreds.
As RCB made a sensational start to their IPL campaign with a convincing eight-wicket win, Kohli and Faf du Plessis delivered a chasing masterclass with a 148-run opening partnership.
Tilak Varma, who was given the opportunity to bat, smashed a scintillating 84 off 46 balls to propel MI to 171 for 7, but Kohli and du Plessis made a mockery of the score by slamming twin fifties as RCB sailed to victory with as many as 22 balls to spare.
In their near-flawless 89-ball partnership, Kohli (82 not out) and Du Plessis (73), who were attempting to chase down 172, put on a display of sublime strokemaking, smashing 10 boundaries and as many maximums.
After du Plessis was bowled out in the 15th over, Kohli finished the job, hitting a four and a six off Arshad Khan to score the winning runs, handing MI their 11th straight defeat in their first match of the season.
MI replaced Suryakumar Yadav with Jason Behrendorff as their impact player, but it didn’t work as he and his new-ball companion Arshad were taken to the cleaners by Kohli and du Plessis, racking up 30 in three overs.
If du Plessis smashed Behrendorff for consecutive sixes, Kohli blasted a four and six off Jofra Archer after being dropped in the first delivery.
After that, veteran spinner Piyush Chawla was inserted, but du Plessis sent him over extra cover, and Kohli pulled one across midwicket off Archer as RCB scored 53 runs in six overs.
Du Plessis then ripped Cameron Green apart, striking two fours and a maximum. The skipper gave Hrithik Shokeen the same treatment, with two maximums to achieve fifty.
Kohli then hit Chawla over long-on to raise the team total to 100 before reaching his individual fifty in the 12th over.
In the next over, Jason Behrendorff scored 16 runs, with du Plessis hitting a six and a four. As the runs continued to come thick and fast, Kohli dragged Archer over deep square leg. MI got du Plessis and Dinesh Kartik (0) late in the game, but it was too late as Glenn Maxwell (12 not out off 3 balls) and Kohli closed things off in style.
Earlier, MI got off to a slow start, but Varma, fresh off a successful last season, kept the innings together with a spectacular knock.
The RCB spinners had reduced MI to 20 for three in 5.2 overs, but Varma added 50 and 48 for the fifth and eighth wickets with Nehal Wadhera (21) and Arshad Khan (15 not out)
The 20-year-old’s stroke featured nine boundaries and four sixes.
Ishan Kishan hit two fours before being caught by Mohammed Siraj with an outswinger, while Cameron Green was caught by Recce Topley, who claimed his first IPL wicket.
In the fifth over, Siraj and Dinesh Kartik collided while trying for the catch, giving Rohit a life. However, the India captain was unable to capitalise as Akash Deep induced an edge to drop MI to 20 for 3 in 5.2 overs.
Varma then came to bat and smacked a big shot over long-on to push MI to 29 for three on the powerplay.
Topley left the field in the eighth over after sustaining a shoulder injury while diving to stop a boundary off Varma’s bat.
Suryakumar Yadav, who had been struggling, also died after a poor start, hitting direct to Shahbaz Ahmed.
Varma, on the other hand, batted confidently, reverse-sweeping Michael Bracewell for a four before striking a six and four off Maxwell as the 12th over produced 16 runs.
Wadhera hit back-to-back sixes off Karn Sharma, but the spinner was caught by Kohli as MI collapsed to 99 for five.
Tim David had a lot of expectations, but Karn Sharma cleaned him up when he attempted to go for a big hit.
Harshal Patel took his first wicket of the season after Du Plessis dropped Hrithik Shokeen, leaving MI at 123 for 7 in 17.1 overs.
Varma, on the other hand, demonstrated his temperament by slamming Akash Deep over deep square leg for another maximum to achieve his half century.
Siraj bowled the 19th over with figures of 3-0-5-1 after three overs, but he sent down five wides to halt Varma, who blasted two fours as MI reached 149 for seven after the 16-run over.
Varma then clobbered Harshal for two sixes and a four in the final over, scoring 48 runs in the final 17 deliveries.
