At the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, Rajasthan Royals defeated the unfortunate Mumbai Indians for their seventh season in a rout of the five-time champions, 104* off 60 from Yashasvi Jaiswal, his second IPL tonne and his second against the Indians, to support an outstanding five-fer from Sandeep Sharma. This victory moved the hosts closer to a Playoff berth. After a lacklustre start to the season, Jaiswal helped bring the Mumbai Indians down to a respectable total of 179 with nine wickets and eight balls remaining. Sandeep, who returned, was crucial in preventing them from reaching that mark with his 5 for 18.
Where was the victory in the match?
in the game’s two PowerPlays. Trent Boult and Sandeep Sharma decided to bat first, which resulted in the Mumbai Indians being reduced to 45/3. Tilak Varma and Nehal Wadhera’s 99-run partnership helped them rebound nicely, but they were unable to get the winning run. Jaiswal and Jos Buttler, the opening batsmen for RR, got off to a quick start in the chase. The hosts could coast to the finish line once they had 61 in the PowerPlay.
The distinction between PowerPlay and
| – | MI | RR |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 45/3 | 61/0 |
| Run-Rate | 7.5 | 10.16 |
| 4s/6s | 5/1 | 10/1 |
Indians from Mumbai
PowerPlay: A rerun of the previous issue
Score for Phase: 45/3 [RR: 7.50, 5/1, 4s/6s]
With the exception of RR, MI has had 50+ run PowerPlays against every other team in the IPL 2024. In this year’s match, the Royals also claimed three wickets in the opening six overs for the second time. Trent Boult broke his five-game duck in the opening over when Rohit Sharma misplayed a swipe attempt that could have gone over the boundary. In addition to taking the catch and claiming the review that sent Ishan Kishan back for a three-duck ball, Sanju Samson was the one who claimed that skier. In addition to taking Kishan’s wicket, Sandeep returned and claimed the important wicket of Suryakumar Yadav, chipping a catch to mid-on as MI faltered after reaching 45/3 in the PowerPlay following the audacious decision to bat first.
Mid Overs: Wadhera and Tilak spearhead the counteroffensive
Score for Phase: 86/1 [RR: 9.55, 8/3 for 4s/6s]
Mohammed Nabi was elevated by MI to stop the torrent of wickets. In that sense, his 17-ball 23 can be seen as a job well done, but MI faced a daunting assignment when they were 52/4 in the eighth over. Even with R. Ashwin gone after three overs, they dared to team Tilak Varma with another southpaw, Nehal Wadhera. With a measured approach, the two young hitters discovered the boundaries without taking any unnecessary risks. While Wadhera dragged the veteran for a four, Varma smacked Ashwin over his head for a six. After completing the rebuilding task, the two launched an assault, with Varma hitting two fours off Chahal and Wadhera smashing two sixes off Avesh. Wadhera was dismissed for a 49 off 24 balls, while Varma reached his half-century off 38 balls. On 99 (52) he was dismissed by Trent Boult, a slower bouncer, ending the alliance.
Death Overs: Sandeep returns to form
48/5 for the phase (9.6, 4s/6s: 1/4)
After 16 overs, MI was 151/4, setting the scenario for a last-ditch effort when Boult got rid of Wadhera. The last push was never made, as RR created a clinic where people bowl to die. Despite having a difficult day, Avesh conceded just six runs to remove Hardik Pandya in the 19th over. In the 20th over, Sandeep Sharma improved upon his previous performance by removing Varma and Gerlad Coetzee with slower balls that had a jumbled seam, followed by Tim David’s full toss to deep mid-wicket. With just 3 runs off the last over, Sandeep finished with an incredible 5 for 18, with 13 dots in his spell. In the last four overs, MI lost 4/28 to end at 179/9.
Royals of Rajasthan
PowerPlay: Jaiswal and Buttler open up the chase
Score for Phase: 61/0 [RR: 10.16, 10/1 for 4s/6s]
Rajasthan Royals blasted to a commanding 61/0 in the PowerPlay, scoring as many as 11 boundaries, in sharp contrast to Mumbai Indians and their own PowerPlay record this season. Jos Buttler and Jaiswal both faced 18 balls in their respective scores of 31 and 28. Hardik Pandya was forced to bowl two Bumrah overs in the PowerPlay because to their quick start, but the hitters overcame those overs to get 11 runs.
In between innings: Butterfingers MI
90/1 Phase Score [10.00 RR, 4s/6s: 4/7]
After a half-hour rain delay, play continued with Hardik’s two spinners, Nabi and Piyush Chawla, working in unison to try to take advantage of their individual matchups. When Chawla’s flipper castled Buttler for a 25-ball 35, it was a success. Wadhera missed a very easy opportunity at long off and ultimately went for a six, but the seasoned legspinner should have also removed Jaiswal at fifty. That signalling the beginning of a spell of MI kindness in the field that coincided with RR’s cruelty at bat. Nabi was hit for sixes by both Samson and Jaiswal before David gave the RR captain a reprieve at long on. Raising the stakes even higher, Jaiswal hit Chawla for six overs far off before facing Bumrah in the third over, which was a late one for the speed ace.
Death Overs: A century and a cruise to the finish
Score for Phase: 32/0 [RR: 9.41, 3/1 for 4s/6s]
At this point, the game was virtually won, with RR requiring just 28 runs from the last 5 overs. Jaiswal’s century, which he scored off the 59th ball by cutting a single to sweeper cover, dominated the conclusion. The child’s run of poor grades came to an end, and he celebrated with his usual glee. He sealed the deal by cutting a boundary three balls later.
Brief scores: Rajasthan Royals 183/1 in 18.4 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 104*; Piyush Chawla 1-33) defeated Mumbai Indians 179/9 in 20 overs (Tilak Varma 64, Nehal Wadhera 49; Sandeep Sharma 5-18, Trent Boult 2-32) by 9 wickets.
The other match-related newsmaker
In IPL history, Yuzvendra Chahal became the first bowler to reach 200 wickets. In his 153rd IPL match, he reached the milestone against the squad he had made his league debut with. With two fingers pointing skyward in delight, he had Mohammed Nabi caught and bowled.
What are the teams’ next moves?
The Mumbai Indians’ next game is scheduled for April 27 during the day at Arun Jaitley Stadium against the Delhi Capitals. There will be a four-day break in between. On that Sunday evening, the Royals go to meet the Lucknow Super Giants in the evening game.
