Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, IPL 2015 Match 46 at Mumbai Highlights: AB de Villiers’ blistering century, MI’s dropped catches, and more

The last 10 overs of the RCB innings fetched a massive 147 runs, with AB de Villiers scoring 93 of those by himself.

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) registered their sixth win in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015 by defeating Mumbai Indians (MI) by 39 runs. It was the batting order that proved to be the x-factor for the visitors, as they posted their second consecutive 200-plus total. Amit Banerjee takes a look at five of the most important moments in the match. READ: Royal Challengers Bangalore trounce Mumbai Indians by 39 runs in IPL 2015 Match 46 at Mumbai

MI’s fielders give Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli bonus lives: The MI fielding performance on the day could be termed as mixed, with a slight inclination towards the negative. In a crucial match, against a power-packed side such as RCB, fielding goof-ups are unpardonable sins. During the third over, Chris Gayle got a leading edge off the bowling of Mitchell McClenaghan, with skipper Rohit Sharma getting under the delivery in order to complete the catch. IPL 2015 Points Table & Team Standings

Rohit failed to complete the catch, much to the chagrin of his team and the Mumbai fans. The very next delivery, RCB skipper Virat Kohli edged McClenaghan to the slips, where Harbhajan Singh dropped a catch that was figuratively served to him on a plate. McClenaghan was livid, which would be an understatement, screaming one expletive after another. IPL 2015 Highest run-scorer: List of best batsmen in IPL 8

Simmons takes a blinder to dismiss Gayle:  After the two howlers, the fielding seemed to have magically improved. Gayle hit a four and a six before slapping one to gully, where his West Indian compatriot Lendl Simmons leapt to complete yet another superb catch — his third blinder in as many games. IPL 2015 Highest wicket-taker: List of best bowlers in IPL 8

AB de Villiers and Kohli storm over MI: AB de Villiers had last scored an IPL century in 2009, and the South African One-Day International (ODI) skipper added to that tally once again. After a slow start in their innings, de Villiers and Kohli eventually began to increase the scoring rate, as RCB reached 88 for one at the end of 10 overs. It was after this mark that the real destruction began. IPL 2015 Most 6s and 4s: List of most dangerous batsmen in IPL 8

The next 10 overs fetched a massive 147 runs, with AB scoring 93 of those by himself. Jasprit Bumrah was particularly picked on by the pair, conceding 25 runs in the 17th over of the innings. De Villiers did not face many deliveries in the last over, and that prevented him from completing a possible 150. He finished on an unbeaten 133 off 59 balls, including 19 fours and four sixes. De Villiers would go on to dedicate his ton to his mother, mother-in-law, and wife (a to-be mother) on Mothers Day. IPL 2015 Leading fielders: List of Best fielders in IPL 8

On the other end, skipper Kohli remained unbeaten on 82 off 50 balls, providing valuable support to de Villiers for their 215-run partnership — the highest-ever partnership in Twenty20 Cricket.

Parthiv goes after the attack again: Wicketkeeper-batsman Parthiv Patel decided to attack Mitchell Starc in much the same way he went after Mitchell Johnson during the match against Kings XI Punjab at Mohali last week. The party ended a little too soon for Parthiv however, as he was run out at the end of four overs after scoring 19 runs off 11 balls. IPL 2015 schedule: IPL 8 match time table with venue details

Lendl Simmons and Kieron Pollard give MI a brief glimmer of hope: At 63 for two, the chances of victory were looking increasingly slim. The West Indian duo of Simmons and Kieron Pollard however, kept the runs flowing as the local fans had a reason to cheer as long as they were at the crease. The pair went on to add 70 runs for the third wicket off a mere 37 balls before Pollard was caught by Mitchell Starc off the bowling of Sreenath Aravind for 49 off 24 balls. Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015: Complete coverage

(Amit Banerjee, a reporter at CricketCountry, takes keen interest in photography, travelling, technology, automobiles, food and, of course, cricket. He can be followed on Twitter via his handle @akb287)

About the Author

•