RCB vs MI IPL 2023: Latest result, highlights as Virat Kohli lauds "phenomenal" hosts' eight-wicket win

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RCB vs MI IPL 2023: Latest result, highlights as Virat Kohli lauds "phenomenal" hosts' eight-wicket win image

Virat Kohli talked up Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) prospects of winning a maiden IPL title after the former India captain finished unbeaten on 82 off 49 balls in an eight-wicket win for his side against Mumbai Indians (MI) in their campaign opener.

Chasing 172 courtesy of a rescue mission by Tilak Varma that ensured MI did not lose another wicket after falling to 123/7, Kohli hit six 4s and five 6s in a potent partnership with RCB skipper Faf du Plessis to blow their opponents away with 22 balls to spare.

"We were balanced and brilliant with the ball," said Kohli, calling RCB's performance "phenomenal" as he reflected on their first home match at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in more than three years because of the Covid pandemic.

RCB vs MI live score

  Score  Overs
RCB 172/2 17.2
MI 171/7 20

RCB won by eight wickets

"Faf and I got off to the perfect start. We backed ourselves. I'm very happy with the way things went today."

Du Plessis was the first of the pair to reach 50 before eventually departing to Arshad Khan for 73 off 43 bowls during the 15th over, by which time RCB were storming to a victory that looked likely for much of MI's innings.

Varma, 20, restored hope when the fifth batsman reached 84 from 46 balls as the lone bright spark for new coach Mark Boucher, who is bidding to improve the five-time champions' fortunes after they finished 10th last season.

Dinesh Karthik swiftly departed for a duck once MI had taken du Plessis' wicket, leaving Glenn Maxwell to add 12 off three balls as a chuckling Kohli showed his satisfaction at his team closing in on a comprehensive victory.

England international Jofra Archer had an IPL debut to forget, failing to take a wicket at the expense of 33 runs as part of an Indians bowling performance short on ideas and inspiration.

Challengers cruise to crushing win

As RCB's top scorer in 2022 and the seventh-leading batsman overall, Du Plessis picked up where he left off with a Player of the Match display in front of a cacophonous crowd.

The 38-year-old had already produced a moment for the highlights reel by the time he stepped in to bat, claiming a masterful catch on the backfoot when Hrithik Shokeen mishit a shot.

Du Plessis and Kohli then seemed to match each other shot-for-shot, with the ex-Chennai Super Kings (CSK) star hitting five 4s and six 6s.

"Faf and I got off to the perfect start," Kohli observed afterwards. "We backed ourselves. We shifted the momentum with the new ball.

"The way we started nullified the intensity they were going to bring into the field. We kept putting pressure on the bowlers, which was crucial."

After eight playoff campaigns, Kohli is clearly desperate for RCB to finally win the title. "We do play consistent cricket," he said.

"We have to take things as they come and try to be the best-balanced side that we can be on the field. We'll look to execute our plans the way we did tonight."

RCB are next in action when they visit the Kolkata Knight Riders on April 6.

MI make miserable start

Captain Rohit Sharma was part of a misfiring top order for MI, whose misery was compounded when debutant Reece Topley had to exit through injury early on.

Topley was left in agony after diving to stop the ball, and it later emerged that the England international suffered a dislocated shoulder.

South Africa legend Boucher says he wants to ensure his players have fun but there was little to enjoy in an abject display with the exception of Varma's display.

"We didn't turn up with the ball," said Sharma. "These things happen. We need to get these things right. That was a good pitch to bat on."

Sharma called on his team-mates to step up in the absence of injured pacer Jasprit Bumrah but said the squad had "a lot to look forward to" and called Varma "magnificent".

"He is a very positive person, quite talented as well," he said, with MI next in action against CSK on April 8. "Some of the shots he played today showed a lot of courage.

"We want to be brave and courageous out in the middle. Hats off to him for getting us to a competitive total.

"We didn't even bat half to our potential and we still got 170. Thirty or 40 runs more would have been ideal."

More to follow

The Sporting News followed the match live and providing live score updates and commentary.

MORE: Latest betting odds for IPL 2023

RCB vs MI as it happened from IPL 2023 match

RCB 17th over: RCB win by eight wickets

A fitting end to a bit of a non-contest: Virat Kohli hits a four and a six as RCB start with a massive win in front of a huge home following!

Thanks for following our live coverage. We'll have a report and analysis at the top of this page shortly.

RCB 16th over (161/2): Lest MI become too excited, Glenn Maxwell smashes successive sixes to put RCB within sight of an emphatic victory.

WICKET! Karthik c Tilak b Green 0 (3)

Dinesh Karthik sends a shot straight to the man who had hoped his knock might have rescued MI earlier, allowing Tilak Varma to catch at deep square leg and condemn the RCB batter to a duck.

RCB 15th over (148/1): A slither of consolation with that wicket for the hosts, Tim David completing a solid catch after Faf du Plessis hacks at Arshad Khan's delivery to outside off.

WICKET! Du Plessis c David b Arshad 73 (43)

MI have a wicket to their name! Faf du Plessis departs after a destructive display, falling to debutant Arshad Khan.

He leaves to a rapturous reception. Some effort.

RCB 14th over (139/0): Jofra Archer posts 0/33 on his IPL debut. Not the way he would have wanted to mark the day after his 28th birthday.

The highlight of this 10-run over is a six from Virat Kohli. This has been a masterclass.

RCB 13th over (129/0): Poor Jason Behrendorff. He's been anything but the Impact Player he's supposed to be as Virat Kohli takes another four off a ball, but RCB's opening partnership take some stopping when they're in this form.

Every huge shot generates another roar and round of flag-waving from their suitably excited supporters here. The pitch is unyielding for the bowlers, in fairness.

RCB 12th over (113/0): There's almost an inevitability to Virat Kohli clomping through his 50 in 38 balls. The stats map shows that most of them have been down the ground.

RCB 11th over (108/0): Not to be outdone by Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli sends a six over long on to bring up 100 for the serene partnership.

You may not be surprised to learn that RCB's fans are a hive of excitement in the stands. At this rate, they won't see their team lose a wicket.

RCB 10th over (97/0): Faf du Plessis looks laser-focused as he sends a six over mid-wicket and a second over long on for his 50, raising his bat and receiving congratulations from Virat Kohli.

RCB are surging towards victory here.

RCB 9th over (80/0): Virat Kohli casually hammers another shot beyond the boundary, then Piyush Chawla wants an lbw against Faf du Plessis at outside leg.

Rohit Shara doesn't want a review after the umpire declines the chance to change the course of this innings.

RCB 8th over (75/0): A supreme over for du Plessis, who finds the boundary twice and hits a six as part of a 17-run over.

RCB 7th over (58/0): Piyush Chawla has another decent over against Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis, keeping them to five runs during the seventh.

RCB are currently half a run ahead of the run rate they need to win here. MI need the wickets to start tumbling.

RCB 6th over (53/0): Virat Kohli hasn't been unduly bothered by Jofra Archer since the England international missed that catch, scoring another four during this over as RCB continue their impressive unblemished start.

RCB 5th over (45/0): Piyush Chawla is introduced in the powerplay, and Faf Du Plessis takes a four as part of a five-run over.

A few fans were waving photos of Virat Kohli as that rattled through.

RCB 4th over (40/0): Jofra Archer has a go at disrupting Du Plessis and Kohli's rhythm, narrowly failing to catch Kohli's shot as it comes back off him via the bowler's fingertips.

Archer takes to the floor in a moment of concern but it turns out he's just taking a moment to lament what might have been there, and matters worsen for him when Kohli finds the boundary with a shot via deep backward point.

RCB 3rd over (30/0): Now Faf du Plessis steps up in stunning style, smashing a four off Jason Behrendorff, who doesn't have quite the impact his coach had been hoping for in this over.

Du Plessis then hits successive sixes over hard wicket and long-off. Clobbering – and pretty dispiriting, if you're Behrendorff.

RCB 2nd over (14/0): Now RCB are motoring after a cautious first over. Elegant as you like, Virat Kohli sends a four to the boundary off of Arshad Khan.

You wouldn't anticipate RCB having too many issues making the total of 171, on the basis of what we've seen so far.

RCB 1st over (5/0): Mark Boucher all but stated that Jason Behrendorff would be MI's Impact Player in this game and he duly sends him in to replace Suryakumar Yadav.

Virat Kohli faces him opposite Faf du Plessis, guiding RCB to a solid first over.

Innings break: Well, that shift from Tilak Varma has taken MI from highly unpromising to faintly promising. It's not the total they would have wanted on this pitch but it puts them in with a chance. MI had been 20/3 in a little more than five overs before Tilak Varma stepped in to bat at number five, and from there the momentum swung. Can they carry it on?

MI 20th over (171/7): From 123/7, MI increase that total by 48 without losing another wicket to move from hopeless position to in with a chance – and 20-year-old Tilak Varma has produced an outstanding knock.

Arshad Khan hits a six over mid-wicket from Harshal Patel, then Varma hits a four off a short delivery, embellished by a no-ball.

Varma reaches 84 from 46 balls in style as he hammers a six over long to the loud approval of the crowd, who've got far more of a contest here than they would have expected to have when the man of the hour began batting. Bravo!

MI 19th over (149/7): Mohammed Siraj has a shocker of an over, going for wide yorkers and ending up with an almost impressive five wides.

He also ships four boundaries, although his finishing tally is a respectable 4-0-21-1.

MI 18th over (133/7): RCB might have traded that highlights reel catch to get rid of Tilak Varma, who banishes the buoyancy Harshal Patel might be feeling about that first wicket by sweeping a delivery away for another four.

WICKET! Shokeen c Faf b Harshal 5 (3)

Crikey. Hrithik Shokeen mishits a chip and Faf du Plessis backtracks and jumps with expert timing for a magnificent catch to give Harshal Patel his first wicket.

MI 17th over (123/6): Fifty (from 32 deliveries) for Tilak Varma! Akash Deep delivers the ball and MI's saviour sends it to square leg boundary to reach his half-century in impressive fashion.

There's a big call as the first umpire changes a wide to a dot but MI proceed to add another eight runs as their chase for a more respectable innings goes on.

MI 16th over (111/6): Hrithik Shokeen comes in and finds the boundary down long leg off of Karn Sharma. Four to go.

WICKET! David b Karn 4 (7) 

Crack! The goateed Karn Sharma is ecstatic as a full delivery evades Tim David's attempted clump and hammers his wicket.

MI 15th over (102/5): Harshal Patel only concedes three off the over. The pressure is on Tilak Varma now, although he undoubtedly looks like he's ready for it on the evidence we've seen so far. Strategic time-out called.

MI 14th over (99/5): We mentioned that Reece Topley had to depart in some pain after an admittedly impressive dive earlier.

Topley's dislocated his shoulder and - ouch - apparently it's been put back in.

WICKET! Wadhera c Kohli b Karn 21 (13)

You can forgive Nehal Wadhera for feeling free and easy with the bat after he scores successive sixes to mid-wicket and long to put up 50 with Tilak Varma.

No sooner as he done that than Wadhera is caught by Virat Kohli at long on. Still, 50 off 30 balls is excellent by the standards of MI's innings.

MI 13th over (85/4): Akash Deep takes his second over and receives the same scorching service as Tilak Varma has dished out to his team-mates, seeing a delivery dashed off past third man for Varma's latest four.

MI 12th over (78/4): Now Tilak Varma is getting MI moving. Glenn Maxwell comes in for Karn Sharma for RCB and begins disastrously, conceding successive fours.

Varma also smashes a six up on the long-on. This is the over the Indians needed. Meanwhile, head coach Mark Boucher all but says that Jason Behrendorff will be their Impact Player.

"The rule where you can change the team after batting and bowling has really made it a substitute event," Boucher tells Sky Sports, calling the newly-introduced concept "quite interesting".

"It would have been interesting to see how people would have gone about it if it hadn't been allowed after the toss. If you look at our line-up, a guy like Jason is still in our strongest bowling 11. You should read into that."

MI 11th over (62/4): Michael Bracewell begins his second over by seeing Tilak Varma score four over backward point.

The over goes better from there for Bracewell, leaving MI on 62 after 11.

MI 10th over (52/4): RCB mount an enthusiastic appeal after Nehal Wadhera, who is on strike, swipes at the air and allows a delivery to clatter his pads.

A review shows that the ball was outside leg stump. MI score three off the over at halfway – still under six an over.

MI 9th over (52/4): It's been a wretched start for MI, who've taken stock during a strategic time-out after losing four wickets with a run rate of under six.

The buzz around the place is still something to behold, though. A set of cheerleaders in shimmering blue and gold trim are showing off their dance moves.

Nehal Wadhera comes in to make his MI debut and batters a slow Michael Bracewell delivery outside off stump for a four.

WICKET! Surya c Shahbaz b Bracewell 15 (16)

Oh dear. Michael Bracewell's first over results in a wicket as Suryakumar Yadav hits a short, wide delivery straight to the grateful Shahbaz Ahmed at point field.

Yadav will be annoyed at how recklesly he sliced that ball. 

MI 8th over (48/3): Disaster for RCB bowler Reece Topley, who produces an elastic reflex dive to prevent a possible boundary but damages his shoulder in the process. It's a familiar issue for Topley and he's clearly in pain.

MI 7th over (36/3): That was a quiet powerplay for MI to say the least. Harshal Patel comes in for Mohammed Siraj in the bowling attack and sees Suryakumar Yadav hit him for four in the seventh over.

MI 6th over (29/3): Six! Tilak Varma hammers a length ball high and away in a much-needed moment of relief for MI during what has been a poor start. They're averaging under five an over – and it could have been worse if RCB's fielding had been perfect.

WICKET! Sharma c Karthik b Akashdeep 1 (10)

The captain goes in the final over of the Powerplay! Akash Deep adds some late swerve to a delivery and Rohit Sharma edges his shot into the arms of Dinesh Karthik.

MI 5th over (19/2): Dinesh Karthik will feel he should have caught Rohit Sharma out here after the MI skipper makes a hash of dealing with a short delivery on the fifth ball of the over following three successive dot balls.

There's no time for that, though, as Karthik ends up on the floor for a sustained period after colliding with Mohammed Siraj while trying to make that catch. A let-off for MI, and injury to insult for RCB – although Siraj, who's a robust figure, is fine after some attention from a physio.

It's been a predictably eventful match for Siraj, who had a referral shout turned down by Faf du Plessis and has been screaming and hollering his way through appeals and celebrations.

MI 4th over (17/2): After a useful start, MI are struggling now and they're also two down in the powerplay.

WICKET! Green b Topley 5 (4)

Reece Topley has seen three of his opening seven balls end up at the boundary but now he has a wicket!

An inward swing on a near-full ball confounds Cameron Green, and the stumps make an almighty thwack as another wicket falls. Splendid bowling!

MI 3rd over (12/1): The Indians only manage another run from the over, losing their first wicket along the way.

WICKET! Kishan b Siraj 10 (13)

Now RCB have some joy! Mohammed Siraj succeeds with the scrambled seam, befuddling Islam Kishan, who's caught by Harshal Patel at third man and departs for 10.

MI 2nd over (11/0): The colour and noise around this stadium is spectacular. Ishan Kishan reaches out and smashes a four, leaving Reece Topley looking dismayed at the destination of his delivery.

There's a huge roar of expectation at the prospect of a run-out at the striker's end but no-one can capitalise to punish the backtracking Rohit Sharma, whose shot is solid enough. Sharma then sends a shot to the boundary. That one went at almost 133 kilometres per hour!

MI 1st over (2/0): Rohit Sharma sets a captain's example, immediately scoring with a grounded shot that runs towards square leg.

Ishan Kishan is also gets his campaign underway with a shot towards deep backward point. This is a solid start by MI.

2 mins until first ball: Before the match begins, there's a moment of silence for former India international Salim Durani following his death earlier on Sunday.

5 mins until first ball: The Mumbai Indians line-up!

10 mins until first ball: Here's how RCB start!

25 mins until first ball: Perennial entertainers RCB reached the final in 2009, 2011 and 2016. After finishing fourth in 2022, could this be their year?

40 mins until first ball: The excitement is building for this game between two of the traditionally best-supported teams in the IPL. Add in a bowler-friendly setting and we should be in for one of the most entertaining games of this opening weekend – if that's not jinxing it.

1 hour until first ball: Faf du Plessis is one of the RCB players looking forward to playing in front of their home fans again. “I’m so excited to get going," said the former South Africa captain.

"It’s the fans: they are so loud and you just want to be out there. That’s why they say that playing here at Chinnaswamy is an emotion.”

1 hour 20 mins until first ball: MI's Jofra Archer celebrated turning 28 with a cake yesterday. He didn't train but head coach Mark Boucher described Archer as "100%" fit to play.

"We had a couple of optional training sessions," Boucher explained on Saturday. "He felt he was ready to put out some sparks tomorrow.

"We are happy about the progression he has made since the last few days he has been with us. So yeah, he might probably being playing."

1 hour 40 mins until first ball: RCB might have earned twice as many points as MI last season but the Indians have the upper hand in games between these teams.

They've won 17 and lost 12 editions of this fixture, with one draw.

2 hours until first ball: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of RCB and MI's first games of the 2023 IPL! Can Virat Kohli and the Challengers finally win their first title after missing out in the playoffs for the past three seasons? Will Mark Boucher revitalise an Indians side who finished bottom of the pile last season? We'll have our first glimpse of how these teams might fare when the action begins in around two hours' time...

MORE: IPL points table 2023: Live updated standings from the Indian Premier League as cricket superstars chase glory

RCB vs MI odds

The Mumbai Indians come into this match as favourites, according to Dafabet, but only just.

  RCB
win		 MI
win
Dafabet
(India)		 1.97 1.88

RCB vs MI team news

Faf Du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell and Dinesh Karthik have been asked to support Kohli in the run-making for RCB this year.

England and Surrey's Will Jacks has been ruled out of the entire tournament after suffering a muscle injury while fielding in the recent Bangladesh white-ball series. RCB have signed New Zealand all-rounder Michael Bracewell to replace him.

MORE: Full IPL 2023 squad lists including RCB and Mumbai Indians

The Indians' immense batting depth means that one or both of Tristan Stubbs and Dewald Brevis may have to be left on the bench.

Among their bowling ranks, Jasprit Bumrah is yet to fully recover from a long-standing back injury but Archer will be fit and firing.

MORE: Make your IPL 2023 predictions and win prizes with Dafabet in Premier League Mania

RCB vs MI TV, telecast details

RCB vs. Mumbai Indians will be broadcast in several languages, across the following TV channels:

  • Star Sports 1, 2, 3
  • Star Sports Select 1

RCB vs MI live stream, mobile, online details 

Live streaming of Mumbai's trip to Bangalore is provided free of charge, exclusively through JioCinema across a range of platforms. 

For mobile users, every IPL game will be available to stream for free via the JioCinema app, available on both Android and iOS devices. 

MORE: Make your IPL 2023 predictions and win prizes with Dafabet in Premier League Million Bonanza

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