Mumbai Indians (MI) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)  registered convincing wins over Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Delhi Capitals (DC) on a blockbuster Sunday in the Indian Premier League (IPL). MI won their fifth straight game to jump to the third spot behind table-toppers Gujarat Titans (GT) and second-placed DC. However, RCB’s sixth straight away win saw them claim the top spot, pushing DC to the fourth position. MI remained third while GT also dropped down to the second spot temporarily.

RCB icon Virat Kohli, who slammed his sixth half-century of the season, claimed the Orange Cap, overtaking MI’s Suryakumar Yadav and GT’s Sai Sudharsan, who will have the chance to reclaim top spot with his team facing Rajasthan Royals on Monday. Kohli has scored 440 runs in 10 matches so far.

RCB pacer Josh Hazlewood claimed the Purple Cap after bagging two wickets against DC, taking his tally to 18 scalps this season.

Chasing 163 for victory, Bengaluru slipped to 26-3 before Virat Kohli and Pandya put together 119 runs to achieve their target with nine balls to spare at Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla ground.

Delhi-born Kohli hit 51. The left-handed Pandya smashed an unbeaten 73 off 47 balls after he returned 1-28 with his left-arm spin in Bengaluru’s seventh win of this season from 10 matches to reach the top of the 10-team table.

It was Bengaluru’s sixth successive away win as they and Kohli search for their first IPL title since the league’s inception in 2008.

Once set, Pandya unleashed his power with boundaries and reached his fifty off 38 balls with a four off Axar.

Kohli hit his sixth half-ton as he went past Mumbai Indians batter Suryakumar Yadav (427) as the leading batsman of this season with 443 runs.

He finally fell to Sri Lanka fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera before Pandya and Tim David, who hit an unbeaten 19 off five balls, took the team over the line.

(With AFP Inputs)