Eleven. That’s the number of consecutive seasons in which Mumbai Indians have now lost their opening game of an Indian Premier League campaign. The latest in that sequence came at a boisterous M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday night, with the man they love to love in this part of the country whetting the appetite of the Bangaloreans with a fabulous salvo that, the fans are hoping, is a sign of things to come. Virat Kohli treated a capacity crowd to a spectacular exhibition of shot-making in the company of his skipper Faf du Plessis, muscling Royal Challengers Bangalore to an eight-wicket win with 22 deliveries to spare, the victory as commanding as those numbers suggest.

Varma boost for Mumbai

Tilak Varma had single-handedly boosted Mumbai Indians to 171 for seven on being put in, his unbeaten, match-high 84 the only bright spot in an innings that stuttered and spluttered once the outstanding Mohammed Siraj had stifled the big guns during a Powerplay spell of 3-0-5-1. On a good batting track and confronted with a small ground and a lightning quick outfield, Mumbai’s only shot at an unlikely victory was by striking early, and in bunches. Du Plessis and Kohli ensured none of that happened with a roaring opening stand that shut out all escape routes for last year’s last-placed side.