IPL 6: MI v/s RCB - The Quick Flicks

It has sort of become a tradition for me to watch at least one game of the Indian Premier League since 2011. The Wankhede stadium is one of my favourite places to visit during the months of April and May. I would really have enjoyed getting a bird’s eye view of tonight’s game between Mumbai and Bangalore, but that is a story for another time. “Clinical” just about sums it up for MI – packing off a star-studded RCB line up is no mean feat. Here are some of the snapshots out of tonight’s game:

Dwayne Smith’s Power Blast

It seems that most of the West Indian players have taken a leaf out of Chris Gayle‘s handbook. Fellow countryman Dwayne Smith did the star turn for Mumbai today. He was a delight to watch as he went about his task remorselessly. Picking up from where he had left off in Kolkata, the big man notched up another 50 and bagged 2 wickets. I guess Pepsi should look at rebranding this season’s IPL to “Pepsi IPL Maaan!”

Bhaag Bhaag DK Bose!

Dinesh Karthik is truly a confused soul at times. With his side comfortably cruising along towards a 200 total, the energetic wicket-keeper decided to infuse some excitement into the game – by running out his skipper. No wonder Rohit was fuming at his dismissal. Karma came back to bite him courtesy a brilliant piece of work by the RCB captain. We might see a more subdued DK in MI’s next game, given the captain’s reaction.

Crack-Shot Kohli

He would have made a fine addition to India’s Olympic shooting squad the way he hits the bull’s eye every single time. Virat Kohli is a livewire on the field – and he saw fit to remind MI of this with two rocket-like run outs. MI fielding coach Jonty Rhodes would be proud – even though his side were on the receiving end.

Dhawal’s Dhamaka

Mumbai seamer Dhawal Kulkarni is a delighted man. First, he finally made his presence in this year’s IPL. Second, he bowled with fire and venom to prise out three Challengers. Third, his team ended up on the winning side. Fourth, he did all this in front of his home crowd. Now that’s what I call a dhamaka arrival!

Singh is King!

The Turbanator was firing on all cylinders tonight. With the bat, his three lusty blows off RP Singh pushed Mumbai towards a big total. And then came the feat of the match – he took out Chris Gayle, that huge slaughterer of bowlers, as well as the relatively-lesser known Arun Karthik. Truly, Singh was King tonight… well, at least for a little while!

The result of tonight’s game has opened up the tournament as it reaches the half-way stage. Wankhede, fortunately, avoided the Gayle Storm and was treated to a brilliant showpiece from the home side. It proves what a die-hard fan like me has always wanted to see: Teamwork trumps individual brilliance every time. Expect to see many such gems as the business end of the tournament gets underway (I’m starting to sound more like an MBA graduate now). Game On!