Absolutely remarkable performance from ABD: Matthew Hayden

Royal Challengers Bangalore started their Indian Premier League 2021 campaign on a high note, defeating the reigning champions Mumbai Indians in an exhilarating match on Friday evening. Harshal Patel, Glenn Maxwell, Virat Kohli, and, of course, the man who took the team par, AB de Villiers, all contributed to the Bengaluru-based side’s victory.

Former cricketers Brian Lara and Matthew Hayden showered rich praises on AB de Villiers for continuing his never-say-die character in crunch situations.

“He is timeless. He has got the experience. IPL is the only form of cricket he is playing at the moment. I suppose he is keeping fit and ready for it. At this stage, when they lost Virat Kohli, RCB needed him to come good,” Lara said on Star Sports.

He came and took control of the game, says Lara

“He was explosive at the right time; he controlled the game. He came in after Glenn Maxwell as well; he controlled the game and got them home.”

Hayden was simply awestruck by the Protean's batting masterclass

“Absolutely remarkable performance from ABD. No question. He had that presence of mind, just knowing when to go and when to hold back. But that most important thing is that rotation of strike that we saw and clean striking of the ball,” Hayden said on Star Sports.

Match Summary: Mumbai Indians 159/9 (20 overs - Chris Lynn 49, Suryakumar Yadav 31; Harshal Patel 5-27) lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore 160/8 (20 overs - AB de Villiers 48, Glenn Maxwell 39; Jasprit Bumrah 2-26) by 2 wickets.