2 mistakes and 1 masterstroke by RCB in their IPL 2024 match vs MI

Things went from bad to worse for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) as they were thrashed by the Mumbai Indians (MI) by seven wickets at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, April 11.

With the defeat, Faf du Plessis and Co. slumped further on the IPL 2024 points table. They now have just one win from six matches and the second-worst net run rate in the competition.

Bengaluru had another terrible outing from a tactical perspective. They made a plethora of errors both with their team selection and with their on-field strategies in what has become a worrying pattern for the side.

Here are two mistakes and one masterstroke made by RCB in their IPL 2024 match against MI.

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#3 Mistake - Faf du Plessis once again closed out the powerplay with a bad option

After dropping arguably their best bowler so far in Yash Dayal, RCB were short of options in the powerplay. Faf du Plessis turned to Glenn Maxwell in the final over of the field restrictions as he resorted to a weak option for the crucial over for the second game running.

It once again cost RCB as Ishan Kishan plundered 17 runs off the Maxwell over, including a six and two fours, to ensure that MI were miles ahead of the required run rate at the end of the powerplay.

The sixth over is one of the most important overs in a T20 innings, and Du Plessis has consistently turned to the wrong option. Even if wanted to give it to a spinner, Will Jacks would've been the better choice, after the role he took on for the Pretoria Capitals in the SA20 league.

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#2 Masterstroke - Dinesh Karthik picked the right areas and bowlers to target

Dinesh Karthik was the difference between a bad defeat and an even worse defeat for RCB. The keeper-batter made a rapid half-century to make the most of the death overs and take his team close to the 200-run mark.

Importantly, Karthik targeted the right areas of the ground throughout his knock. He peppered the third man boundary when Akash Madhwal was bowling, forcing the MI seamer to resort to other options, which he duly pummelled over the leg-side ropes.

Karthik's innovation and shot-making ability were on full display. In a team full off silly decisions, his masterful batting choices stood out.

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#1 Mistake - RCB got several entry points wrong

Karthik delivered, but RCB put him in serious trouble by sending him in when spin was on from one end. DK is ideally used after the 16th over, but Bengaluru sent him in earlier than that, and he struggled to put bat on ball for the first half of his knock.

Moreover, with Mahipal Lomror in the side to take on Shreyas Gopal, Karthik should've never even been in the picture. The southpaw could've ensured that RCB had at least 10-15 more runs on the board by taking on the leg-spinner's last two overs.

Saurav Chauhan, who is a better hitter of spin, was used as an impact player late in the piece. He was never going to be able to take RCB to a par total, and they would've been better off getting an additional bowling option from the bench.

It was a tactical blunderfest from RCB in the first innings.