Kohli singles out Maxwell, Harshal for special praise after win over Mumbai Indians

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Virat Kohli lavished praise on Australian cricketer Glenn Maxwell`s 37-ball, 56-run innings against Mumbai Indians, which was the cornerstone of the side`s 54-run victory over five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions on Sunday.


On Sunday, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, the RCB top-order finally clicked with Kohli smashing a half century, followed by another classic T20 innings from Maxwell which helped the side reach a competitive 165/6 and then dismiss the Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians for 111 runs in 18.1 overs.

RCB are currently third behind CSK and DC with 12 points and Kohli would be happy to have broken a three-match losing streak. Maxwell slammed three sixes and six boundaries in his 56 and also claimed the wickets of MI captain Rohit Sharma and Krunal Pandya.

"Maxi`s (Maxwell) innings was unbelievable. If you don`t try and stamp your authority, (JAsprit) Bumrah will get over you -- that`s how good he is! You have to be at your level best. I`d give it a perfect ten tonight," Kohli said after the match.

"We left out 15 (runs) out there... Those are the things where we feel we can get 20-25 extra runs."

Kohli also applauded the hat-trick efforts of pace bowler Harshal Patel, who became the third Royal Challengers Bowler to achieve the feat. Patel has been leading the `Purple Cap` for long and his four-wicket haul on Sunday takes his tally to 23 wickets from 10 matches.

"I went with my gut feel with DC (Christian). With his experience and change-ups, he bowled an amazing over. What Harshal did was unbelievable."