RCB vs MI: Virat Kohli, and Faf du Plessis blow Mumbai Indians away as Bangalore win by 8 wickets

Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis got Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) off to a flying start in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 as they secured an eight-wicket win over Mumbai Indians (MI) in Bengaluru on Sunday. 
A statement of victory to announce their homecoming into the 16th edition of IPL. Tilam Verma fought alone for Mumbai but it was not enough for them to register the victory. Read the Match Report of the RCB vs MI game and share your thoughts in the comments.

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RCB vs MI: IPL 2023 Match Report

Royal Challengers Bangalore won the toss & decided to bowl first. Rohit Sharma & Ishan Kishan opened for MI while Siraj started for RCB in bowling. An abysmal start for Mumbai as they lost their top-order batters very soon. Rohit Sharma, the skipper lost his wicket after scoring just 1 run while Ishan Kishan returned to the dugout for only 10. Inform Cameron Green (5) couldn't deliver more for Mumbai and Surya Kumar Yadav also left the crease for 15 runs. Mumbai Lost their top 4 batters at a score of 48.

Tilak Varma fought alone to help MI reach a fighting total

The 20 years old Tilak Varma stepped up a big time for his team & that was the boost MI needed the most. He made a partnership of 50 runs with Nehal Wadhera (21 of 13), another young lad, and kept MI competitive for the rest of the match. Tim David & Hrithik Shokeen failed to contribute anything while Tilak fought like a lone wolf. He scored 84 runs in 46 deliveries, hitting 9 fours & 4 sixes & helped MI reach a total of 171. Arshad Khan made 15 runs in the last few overs as Tilak Varma remained not out till the last delivery.

RCB bowlers looked very sharp & elegant except for Harshal & Akash Deep who took 1 wicket each but were not economical like the others. Mohammed Siraj also scalped 1 wicket alongside, Topley & Bracewell. Karn Sharma got two wickets to his name after bowling 4 overs. It was an easy target according to the pitch as the chasing team always gets the upper hand on this,

Kohli & Faf's brilliance during the chase

Chasing 172, Kohli and Du Plessis gave RCB a perfect start as the pair added 148 in 14.5 overs before Du Plessis was removed by Arshad Khan for 73(43). Cameron Green then packed Dinesh Karthik for 0, before Glenn Maxwell (12* off 3) joined the party. Kohli returned unbeaten on 82 off 49 balls, which include six 4s and five 6s.

RCB vs MI Post Match statements from the Captains:

Faf Du Plessis | RCB Captain and Player of the Match:

Nice to start the way we did. In the powerplay, Siraj had the tail up and he set the tone. Right through the innings, our bowlers stuck to the plans. Obviously, the last 2-3 overs are something to improve on. And that second inning, if you want to know how to chase a target, well, that's how you do it. If you took pace off the ball, it wasn't too easy to play and there was something in it for the spinners but as a batter, if you got into good positions you could score runs. My first time playing here as a home player and it's a special player, especially batting with Virat Kohli. Energy bounces off him. You have to stay with the youngsters, I still work hard to be able to move around like I could in the young days. The confidence this gives, all of us are confident players. This start will be huge for us as a team.

Rohit Sharma | MI Captain:

Didn't have a great start with the bat in the first six overs. But, it was a really good effort from Tilak and a few other batters. But, we didn't execute well with the ball. It was a good pitch to bat on. (On Tilak Verma) He is a positive person, quite talented as well. Some of the shots he played, showed a lot of courage. Hats off to Tilak to get us to a competitive total. It was a good pitch to bat on. We didn't set any target but we didn't even bat to half of our potential and we got to 170. Probably 30-40 runs more would have been ideal. For the last six to eight months I am used to playing without Jasprit Bumrah. Of course, this is a different setup but someone needs to put their hand up and step up. We can't keep dwelling on it. Injuries are not in our control, we can't do much about it. The other guys in the setup are quite talented as well. We need to give them that support. Just the first game of the season, there's a lot to look forward to.