Ponting's tactical nous puts Kohli to pasture

The match in a tweet: KL Rahul's spirited fifty in vain as gutsy effort from Ponting's Mumbai Indians push Royal Challengers Bangalore closer to IPL exit

The result: Royal Challengers Bangalore 4-151 lost to Mumbai Indians 4-153 by six wickets with eight balls to spare

The return of Gayle: Much to the glee of the packed Chinnaswamy stadium, Chris Gayle returned to the hosts' XI after Mumbai had won the toss and elected to field. It lasted all of six deliveries though, with the burly West Indian failing to get to double digits for a fourth time this season, out caught for five, off Tim Southee (1-27).   

Ponting's tactical genius on display: Gayle's wicket was preceded by that of Virat Kohli, who departed for seven. His dismissal was a testament to Ricky Ponting's growing reputation as a master coach – a well thought-out tactic executed to perfection. Mumbai employed a wide, deep slip waiting for the batsman to cut the ball fine. Mitchell McClenaghan bowled the perfect outswinger with his first delivery, playing on Kohli's fondness for a steer to third man.

It was the hallmark of Mumbai's effort in the field, led by Jos Buttler at cover, as the team showed great desire to bounce back from a poor previous result against the Sunrisers Hyderabad.  Skipper Rohit Sharma was precise in his field placements, and backed his bowlers. They bowled tight lines and kept AB de Villiers to 24 from 27, a sub-100 strike-rate on a ground favouring batsmen.

The lone Aussie: Shane Watson smashed a massive 104 metre six. Sadly for RCB it was a lone highlight. Bangalore needed much more but Watson was run-out for 15 in the 16th over, a superb direct hit from Rohit. Later, he bowled three overs and leaked 38, his third over proving very costly as Kieron Pollard took him for 18.

Rahul's form: KL Rahul has added another dimension to his batting, playing with more freedom and scoring with ease. The opener had already contributed five straight 30-plus scores, and on a day when their big guns failed, he stood firm. Despite twisting his ankle, he held the innings together with a finely timed 68 not out from 53 balls, with three fours and four sixes.

An easy chase: Against a Royal Challengers' attack that had leaked 170-plus in every previous much, Mumbai were never truly troubled. Both Rohit (25 off 24) and Ambati Rayudu (44 off 47) were sedate. Debutant Nitish Rana was sent out at No.3 and leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal's spell of 1-16 from four overs saw the run-rate climb. Kieron Pollard (35no from 19) and Jos Buttler (29no from 11) smacked 55 in three overs to take their side home with eight deliveries to spare.

Binny's brilliance: While Bangalore were never really in with a shout to defend a meagre total, their best moment in the field came courtesy of Stuart Binny. Rana hit Chahal to the cover fence, where the local favourite leapt high to take the catch mid-air, tumbling to a stop just inside the rope.

The stat: Jamaica's T20 master blaster Chris Gayle now has seven consecutive single-digit scores in the shortest format. It is an unprecedented run in his otherwise sparkling record in this format.

The wash-up: Mumbai bounced back from defeat in fine style and, with 12 points from 11 games, have lifted themselves to fourth in the standings. In a tightly packed table, they might be looking over their shoulders at the Delhi Daredevils, who sit fifth with 10 points but have two games in hand.

This loss makes things simple for Bangalore: they must win all four remaining games to have any shot at qualifying for the knockouts, and then hope other results go their way.

The next stop: The Royal Challengers host Gujarat Lions in the afternoon match on Saturday. Mumbai travel to Vishakhapatnam to 'host' Delhi in clash that will have a huge bearing on the playoff picture.