The Prague Post - Bengaluru edge Mumbai to spoil Bumrah's return in IPL

Mumbai named Bumrah in the XI as the India bowler returned three months after he missed the final day of the fifth Test against Australia in Sydney due to a back injury.

Bengaluru's Virat Kohli and skipper Rajat Patidar hit 67 and 64 to steer Bengaluru to 221-5 after being invited to bat first at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium.

In reply, Pandya smashed a 15-ball 42 and Tilak Varma struck 56, but five-time champions Mumbai finished on 209-9 for their fourth defeat in five matches this season.

Hardik's elder brother and Bengaluru spinner Krunal Pandya held his nerve to bowl the final over when Mumbai needed 19 runs but lost three wickets including two on the first two balls.

Krunal, a left-arm spinner, returned figures of 4-45 in Bengaluru's third win in four matches.

Mumbai slipped to 99-4 including former captain Rohit Sharma out for 17, but Hardik and the left-handed Varma put on 89 runs to turn on the heat with fours and sixes.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar dismissed Varma and then Australia fast bowler Josh Hazlewood took down Pandya for his second wicket in the 19th over to derail the chase.

Left-arm medium-pace bowler Yash Dayal also took two key wickets including Rohit, bowled for 17 after he came in as an impact substitute, and Suryakumar Yadav for 28.

Earlier, Hardik took two wickets and Bumrah registered figures of 0-29 in Bengaluru's mammoth total as Kohli and Patidar bossed the opposition bowling.

Kohli lost opening partner Phil Salt on the second ball of the match off New Zealand left-arm quick Trent Boult, but soon took on the bowlers with regular boundaries.

He put on 91 runs for the second wicket with left-hander Devdutt Padikkal, who hit 37 off 22 balls, and reached his fifty off 29 balls with a six.

Padikkal fell but Kohli put together 48 runs with Patidar until Hardik hit back.

Hardik sent back Kohli and then England's Liam Livingstone, out for a duck, in the space of four deliveries.

The runs kept coming as Patidar was joined by Jitesh Sharma, who hit an unbeaten 40, and the two hammered 69 runs off 27 balls.

Jitesh finished with a flourish in his 19-ball knock laced with two fours and four sixes despite a disciplined last over from Bumrah.

X.Vanek--TPP