Samuel Badree’s sensational hat-trick went in vain, as his compatriot Kieron Pollard scored a hard-fought fifty to help Mumbai Indians recover from a disastrous start and defeat Royal Challengers Bangalore by four wickets to register their third win on the trot.

Rohit Sharma’s men were reeling at 33 for five in the eighth over, before Pollard and Krunal Pandya shared a 93-run partnership to put their team on the track for victory.

Chasing 142, the two-time IPL champions went off to a poor start with their in-form batsman Jos Buttler departing in the very second over, after scoring just two. But that was not the end, as Badree wreaked havoc in the next over by taking a sensational hat-trick to completely derail Mumbai’s chase.

The debutant took the wickets of Parthiv Patel, Mitchell McClenaghan and Rohit Sharma in the third over to become only the 12th bowler to take a hat-trick in the history of the tournament.

The West Indian’s effort had reduced Mumbai to 7/4. Badree was not done yet, as he accounted for the in-form Nitish Rana on the final ball of his fourth over to leave Mumbai reeling at 35 for five and finish with astonishing figures of 4 for 9 from his quota of 4 overs.

Kieron Pollard and Krunal Pandya then began the healing work and put Mumbai in sight of a remarkable victory by sharing a partnership of 93 runs off only 57 balls. But just when it looked Pollard would take Mumbai home, the big-hitting West Indian was dismissed by Yuzvendra Chahal for 70 with the visitors still needing 17 from the final 15 balls.

However, Krunal Pandya held firm from one end before his brother Hardik Pandya completed the chase with a six on the fifth ball of the penultimate over.

Earlier, Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli made a brilliant comeback, scoring a fighting 62 off 47 to help his team post a respectable total on a pitch where the other batsmen were finding it tough to time the ball.

Mitchell McClenaghan was Mumbai’s most successful bowler with two for 20 in his four overs.

Here is how Twitter reacted to the match:

The kind of win that lifts a side @mipaltan. But what an effort from @RCBTweets. Fantastic game of cricket

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) April 14, 2017

https://twitter.com/hankypanty/status/852889269131767808

India should hunt down all Pandya brothers, cousins, kith kin and make them play for the country#RCB vs MI

— Gaurav Sethi (@BoredCricket) April 14, 2017

Sides winning despite worst starts in #IPL:
7-4 MI v RCB (Today)
17-4 SRH v PW (2013)
28-4 RCB v GL (2016)
30-4 KKR v RR (2009)#RCBvMI

— Rajneesh Gupta (@rgcricket) April 14, 2017

From 7-4 to winning the game with more than an over to spare. Brilliant. #MI #IPL

— Arjun Ashok (@arj_90) April 14, 2017

Starc will not need to find himself a new IPL team after this.

— Fake Mitch Johnson (@NotMitchJohnson) April 14, 2017

Pollard proved that he not only has brains but big hearted too. Manjrekar you have to eat your words. @sanjaymanjrekar , #RCBvMI

— Abhay Amrite (@abhayamrite) April 14, 2017

https://twitter.com/AllTimeBakchod/status/852864987487981571