IPL 2020: Royal Challengers Bangalore hold their nerve for Super Over win against Mumbai Indians

AB de Villiers hits fifty and crucial boundary in one-off over during high-scoring match in Dubai

AB de Villiers of Royal Challengers Bangalore reaches for a rising delivery from Jasprit Bumrah of Mumbai Indians during match 10 of season 13 of the Dream 11 Indian Premier League (IPL) between The Royal Challengers Bangalore and The Mumbai Indians held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates on the 28th September 2020. Photo by: Ron Gaunt / Sportzpics for BCCIShow less

The IPL produced the most extraordinary finish since the night before as Royal Challengers Bangalore beat Mumbai Indians via a Super Over in Dubai.

It felt like we had seen it all after the incredible scenes of Rahul Tewatia, Nicholas Pooran, and all that in Sharjah on Sunday night.

Back then, Rajasthan Royals had chased 84 in less than five overs to beat Kings XI Punjab. It had been unbelievable.

So when Mumbai Indians required 90 off their last five overs 24 hours later, it was not clear whether it was a good omen or a bad one.

On the one hand, it was clear nothing was impossible. But it did also feel like that sort of thing only happens once in a blue moon – not twice in two nights.

As it turned out, they did not manage it. They got 89 instead, meaning the sides had to head back out for six more balls each.

Mumbai got so close to doing it in normal time. Ishan Kishan, who was only playing because of an injury to Saurabh Tiwary, made 99 off 58, before holing out off the second last ball with five needed to win.

Kieron Pollard got on strike as they crossed, and hit a four – taking his tally to 60 not out from 24 balls, and the game into overtime.

Mumbai made seven off Navdeep Saini’s six balls in the Super Over.

Bangalore sent out their two alphas – AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli – to get the job done against Jasprit Bumrah.

Ishan Kishan of Mumbai Indians was unlucky to get out on 99. Sportzpics for BCCI

And they did it, too, with captain Kohli hitting the final ball for four to seal the win.

For so long, it seemed as though RCB had the game under control, from when Aaron Finch and Devdutt Padikkal put on 81 for the first wicket in nine overs.

Then AB de Villiers got busy doing AB de Villiers things. The South African great hit four sixes and four fours, in an innings worth 55 not out from 24 balls, as Bangalore made 201-3 from their 20 overs.

The defending champions were way off the pace at the start of their chase, with RCB applying the breaks through an unlikely source.

Washington Sundar had not been trusted to bowl his full quota of overs in either of the previous two games.

This time, though the lanky off-spinner returned the thriftiest figures of anyone to have bowled four overs in the tournament so far, finishing with one for 12.

It left Mumbai with a mountain to climb. Luckily for them, they had the mountainous presence of Pollard to call on.

He razed the RCB bowlers, meting out particular pain on leg-spinners Adam Zampa and Yuzvendra Chahal.

The fact he could only muscle the last ball of the scheduled 20 overs from Isuru Udana for four rather than six eventually proved crucial in the final count up, though.