It was another bad day at the office for Rajasthan Royals as they slumped to a 57-run loss against defending champions Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League on Tuesday, 6 October.
Suryakumar Yadav scored a 47-ball 79* – his highest IPL score – as Mumbai Indians posted 193/4 after choosing to bat first at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
In response, Jos Buttler was the only one to put up a fight with a 44-ball 70. Jasprit Bumrah returned with 4/20 – the best figures this season – as the Royals were bowled out for 136 in 18.1 overs.
MI have registered their third consecutive win this season, while this is Rajasthan’s second-straight loss after their eight-wicket defeat to Royal Challengers Bangalore in their previous game.
With this win, Mumbai Indians overtake Delhi Capitals, and move to the top of the points table with four wins in six games. Rajasthan Royals drop to the seventh spot with their third loss in five games.
Mumbai Indians’ Innings
From 117/4 in 14 overs, Yadav and Hardik Pandya’s crucial unbeaten 76-run partnership, including 51 runs off the last three overs, took Mumbai to a competitive total.
Openers Quinton de Kock and Rohit Sharma got the defending champions off to a decent start. However, debutant Kartik Tyagi denied the duo of a big partnership by dismissing de Kock for a 15-ball 23 – his maiden IPL scalp in his first over.
In the 10th over, Shreyas Gopal put the brakes on Mumbai’s innings by picking up two wickets in two balls – dismissing captain Rohit Sharma for 35 (off 23 balls), and Ishan Kishan for a golden duck.
However, Suryakumar steadied the ship for MI. He scored his first half-century of this season off 33 deliveries – his knock included 11 boundaries and two sixes.
After adding 39 runs with the skipper, Yadav stitched a 29-run stand with Krunal Pandya, who was dismissed by Jofra Archer for a 17-ball 12. Yadav batted till the end of the innings along with Pandya, whose 19-ball 30* featured two boundaries and a six.
Rajasthan Royals’ Innings
Three early wickets left Rajasthan Royals tottering at 12/3 inside the first three overs of their run chase.
Under-19 star Yashasvi Jaiswal, who returned for his second game this season, was dismissed for a duck by Trent Boult on the second ball.
Jasprit Bumrah, who was finally handed the new ball, removed captain Steve Smith for 6 in the next over. Boult came back for the third over to remove dangerman Sanju Samson for a 3-ball duck.
From there, Buttler smashed a half-century and momentarily brought Rajasthan back into the game with a knock that included five maximums and four boundaries.
He put together 30 runs with Mahipal Lomror (11 off 13 balls) and stitched a 56-run stand with Tom Curran before Kieron Pollard’s catch at the boundary off a delivery by James Pattinson sent him packing.
After Buttler fell, the wickets tumbled. Pollard removed Curran (15 off 16 balls) in the next over which was followed by Jasprit Bumrah picking up two wickets in four balls to remove Tewatia (5) and Gopal (1). The Indian pacer also dismissed Archer for a 11-ball 24, and finished his four overs with 4/20 – the best figures this season.
Pattinson wrapped things up with the wicket of Ankit Rajpoot (2). He and Boult picked up two wickets each while Rahul Chahar and Pollard got a scalp apiece.
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