Mumbai Indians have yet again failed to break the losing streak in their opening matches that has haunted them since 2012. They lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by a whopping 8 wickets at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Under the leadership of Harbhajan Singh, MI had secured an 8-wicket victory against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), and since then, the side under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma has been unable to register a victory in their opening match.
MI have had a roller coaster ride in the IPL since 2012, losing to RCB (2013), Kolkata Knight Riders (2014 & 2015), now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiants (2016 & 2017), CSK (2018), Delhi Capitals (2019), CSK (2020), RCB (2021) and DC (2022). Despite this, Mumbai Indians have still managed to win five IPL titles, even though they failed to win their opening match in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020. Now, they look to make up for lost time and get back to winning ways when they face CSK at home on Saturday, April 8.
Kohli and Faf shine during the opening match of RCB
Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis showed superb batting skill to guide Royal Challengers Bangalore to an emphatic eight-wicket victory against Mumbai Indians on Sunday. Kohli scored an unbeaten 82 off 49 balls, including five sixes and six boundaries, while Du Plessis scored 73 off 43 deliveries, with six maximums and five boundaries, in a 148-run opening wicket stand. Glenn Maxwell was unbeaten on 12 off three balls, with two sixes contributing to the win.
Earlier, Tilak Varma showcased an excellent knock of 84* off 46 balls, with four sixes and nine boundaries, to help MI reach 171/7 in their allotted 20 overs. Karn Sharma was the pick of the bowlers for the RCB, registering figures of 2/32, while Mohammed Siraj, Reece Topley, Akash Deep, Harshal Patel and Michael Bracewell all had one wicket apiece.
