IPL 2021 | MI vs RCB: Harshal Patel and the six balls that changed the game

Wicket, Wicket, dot, Wicket, dot, a run and a run out on the last ball. The batsmen dismissed include the names like Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard and Marco Jansen, all proven hitters of a white ball. This was the last over bowled by, not Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah or Kagiso Rabada, but one uncapped Indian all-rounder, more known for his late order hitting than his death over bowling- Harshal Patel. 

When Delhi Capitals traded Patel and Daniel Sams to Royal Challengers Bangalore last season in exchange for money, little would they have thought that the Haryana pacer would go on to create history in the very first game of the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League. 

Not only did Patel concede just a single run and picked up three wickets ( a total of four fell in the over), but went on to claim five wickets in the entire match, ending with figures of 5-27. This came after he was taken off the spell after bowling his first over where he had leaked 15 runs. This is the third-best figure for an uncapped Indian in an IPL game, only below Ankit Rajpoot’s 5/14 vs SRH (2018 playing for KXIP) and Varun Chakravarthy’s 5/20 vs DC (2020 playing for KKR). 

Turning the tides: Death bowling an unlikely hero for RCB

RCB have been one of the teams in the IPL who have been dismal at the death for a long, long time now. For instance, in the games that went to the last five (in total 12 out of 16 games), Virat Kohli’s death bowlers conceded 52 runs per match. 

In this match, however, it was the death bowling that turned the tides in the favour of the Red and Gold. Patel was so impressive in the final few overs conceding only 12 runs in the three that he bowled, that he forced his captain to confess during the post-match interview that RCB are looking at him as the main death bowler this season. Patel also got out Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya, two of the most dangerous men that Mumbai possesses in the death overs. By all means, the all-rounder single-handedly overpowered Rohit Sharma’s men. Him scoring the winning run was just the cherry topping on an already delicious cake. 

The Jamieson effect

It wasn’t only Patel that impressed at the death. Kyle Jamieson, the latest import to the RCB ranks, landing straight from New Zealand was a revelation in himself as well. Doubts were cast over his ability to bowl yorkers and he ended them like a boss, breaking Krunal’s bat with toe crushing jammer in the blockhole. 

The 26-year-old also impressed at the beginning and bowled in the middle to break the all-important Chris Lynn-Suryakumar Yadav partnership as well. Conceding only 27 in your first IPL game is an achievement and a half by all sorts of imagination, especially against a batting line up like that of MI. 

Siraj's coming of age

Mohammed Siraj, ever since his Australia tour has been a different bowler altogether. The confidence that he got by bowling and almost leading the pack in absence of the likes of Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma, gave the Hyderabad bowler a sense of responsibility and he seems to be enjoying that even now. 

The senior-most fast-bowler in the RCB lineup that played yesterday, Siraj showed perseverance and also signs of maturity as he realised his potential, bowling upfront and being economical. In four overs he went for just 22 runs, including the seven runs that he conceded in the death over (17th). The 27-year-old being able to start well has also forced Kohli to not overuse Washington Sundar upfront. 

The trio of fast bowlers with Sams yet to join, most likely in place of Dan Christian makes the RCB line-up look surprisingly dangerous, probably for the first time in their IPL history. It was even echoed by their captain when he said that these were the best six overs (the last six that RCB) of bowling he had seen from the men from Bengaluru. Now, will this last ball thriller win (by two wickets chasing 160), help the trick continue, is a question that only time can answer. But for now - Harshal Patel deserves all the credit and accolades that he is getting.