Mumbai, Apr 27:
Mumbai Indians produced a brilliant all-round display as they romped to a crushing 58-run win over table-toppers Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Pepsi Indian Premier League (IPL) here tonight.
After setting a formidable target of 195, Mumbai Indians restricted Bangalore to 136 for seven in 20 overs in front of a packed crowd at the Wankhede Stadium.
Opting to bat first, Mumbai rode on the West Indies duo of Dwayne Smith (50) and Kieron Pollard (34), with Dinesh Karthik (43)complementing them to help the side close in on the 200-run mark.
Seamer Dhawal Kulkarni then rattled the RCB top-order with three wickets.
Chasing a challenging target, Bangalore got off to a disastrous start as they lost their top four batsmen within the eighth over.
After being ignored for the first seven matches, Kulkarni justified his selection as he ripped through the Royal Bangalore batting order.
Kulkarni scalped three for 19 and provided the first breakthrough as he got rid off Tillakaratne Dilshan in his first over.
The visitors lost dangerman Chris Gayle in the next over as the Jamaican, who holds the world record for the highest individual score of 175 not out in a T20 game, holed out in the deep where Ambati Rayudu pulled off a brilliant catch.
He scored 18 off 20 balls while striking two fours and a six, before Rayudu held one near the ropes off Harbhajan Singh.
Kulkarni struck again in his second over as he packed off Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli (1) and South African A B de Villiers (2) in two balls.
Reeling at 43 for four, the hard-hitting Saurabh Tiwary and wicketkeeper-batsman Arun Karthik (12) tried to do a repair job, but their 24-run partnership came to a halt when the stumper was run out in the 11th over. (PTI)
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