• Rohit Sharma, captain of Mumbai Indians, greets Mohammed Siraj of Royal Challengers Bangalore after their IPL match on Friday. All pictures by Faheem Hussain / Sportzpics for IPL.
    Rohit Sharma, captain of Mumbai Indians, greets Mohammed Siraj of Royal Challengers Bangalore after their IPL match on Friday. All pictures by Faheem Hussain / Sportzpics for IPL.
  • Harshal Patel of Royal Challengers Bangalore celebrates the wicket of Macro Jansen of Mumbai Indians.
    Harshal Patel of Royal Challengers Bangalore celebrates the wicket of Macro Jansen of Mumbai Indians.
  • Washington Sundar and Virat Kohli, captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore, running between the wickets
    Washington Sundar and Virat Kohli, captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore, running between the wickets
  • Harshal Patel of Royal Challengers Bangalore plays a shot
    Harshal Patel of Royal Challengers Bangalore plays a shot
  • Virat Kohli, captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore, plays a shot
    Virat Kohli, captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore, plays a shot
  • AB de Villiers of Royal Challengers Bangalore plays a shot
    AB de Villiers of Royal Challengers Bangalore plays a shot
  • Macro Jansen of Mumbai Indians bowls
    Macro Jansen of Mumbai Indians bowls
  • Captain of Mumbai Indians Rohit Sharma dives to field the ball
    Captain of Mumbai Indians Rohit Sharma dives to field the ball
  • Jasprit Bumrah of Mumbai Indians bowls
    Jasprit Bumrah of Mumbai Indians bowls
  • Dan Chritian of Royal Challengers Bangalore bowls
    Dan Chritian of Royal Challengers Bangalore bowls

Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore shock champions Mumbai Indians in IPL opener - in pictures


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The 14th edition of the Indian Premier League began with an upset after Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore stunned defending champions Mumbai Indians by two wickets in Chennai.

Harshal Patel claimed 5-27 in the contest between the tournament's perennial underachievers and its most successful team, Mumbai managing a modest 159-9 after being put into bat.

Patel then sealed the nervy contest for Bangalore by taking a single off the last ball following AB de Villiers' dismissal for 48 in the final over.

Earlier, Chris Lynn's quickfire 49 and Suryakumar Yadav's breezy 31 had set up a perfect stage for Mumbai to launch a late assault.

Patel then claimed three wickets in four balls and eventually registered the first five-wicket haul against Mumbai to restrict the champions to a below-par total.

Bangalore skipper Kohli came out to open, a role the India captain wants in the T20 World Cup later this year, and made a fluent 33.

Glenn Maxwell contributed 39 but it was de Villiers' whirlwind knock that put Bangalore on the verge of victory.

"There's a reason why Mumbai have won this trophy five times, there's a lot of aura around them," de Villiers said of the opponents.

"But that was the challenge, to beat the champions and get a lot of confidence. We did well tonight."

The Covid-19 pandemic had forced the previous edition of the league to be staged in the United Arab Emirates, where Mumbai Indians won their second successive title.

The league returned to India but a second wave of infection in the country ensured this year's tournament would be played across six venues, initially without spectators.