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The show must go on, said Shankar Bidari, Police Commissioner of Bangalore, after two low intensity bomb blasts went off outside Gate No.12 of the Chinnaswamy Stadium at 3 pm, an hour before the IPL fixture between the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Mumbai Indians was due to commence on Saturday. The local police were quick to stabilise the situation, while the 40,000-strong crowd waited patiently for a game of cricket.
The match did get underway at 5 pm and unperturbed by the situation outside, the players put on a show for the packed house.
Three hours after Anil Kumble won the toss put Mumbai in to bat first, the visitors emerged victorious for the 10th time in the current edition, putting on display yet another flawless spectacle. Having already qualified for the semifinals, Sachin Tendulkar & Co did not rest on their laurels as they walloped Bangalore by 57 runs, while the home side became the first team to complete their set of 14 group matches.
Although a win would have sealed their semi-final spot, all is not lost for Kumble's side yet. With the remaining teams yet to complete their round robin games, a few favourable results for Bangalore could help them sneak in through the backdoor.
Although the Mumbai juggernaut has been unstoppable all season long, fingers were constantly pointed at the fact that it was a one-man team skipper Sachin Tendulkar's. On Saturday, it was one of those rare occasions when Tendulkar failed with the bat out for 19 but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise as the young top order rose to the occasion.
At the fall of Tendulkar's wicket, Mumbai were struggling at 34/1 at the end of the sixth over, when Ambati Rayudu marked his guard in the middle.
The promotion worked as Rayudu top-scored for the side with a quick fire 27-ball 46 clearing the ropes on four occasions while JP Duminy's late surge (19-ball 42) propelled Mumbai's score to 191/4.
While Kieron Pollard didn't have much time to make an impact with the bat (he scored 20 off just seven deliveries), he made up for it with the ball. Pollard dismissed the dangerous Robin Uthappa (4) for cheap, Virat Kohli for 37, before coming back in the penultimate over to dismiss Pankaj Singh. Harbhajan Singh and Dilhara Fernando scalped two wickets each as Bangalore only managed 134/9 at the end of their 20 overs.
Semis in doubt?
Although the dire situation was rescued by the show going on as planned, the future of the semifinal fixtures allotted to the Chinnaswamy Stadium remains a question mark.
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