Mumbai Indians have registered their first win in IPL 2022! Daniel Sams hammered Kuldeep Sen over midwicket and into the stands as they won by 5 wickets against the Rajasthan Royals. MI’s first points of the season came on Rohit Sharma’s birthday.
Earlier, Jos Buttler got a fighting half-century to drive the Royals’ innings to 158/6 before Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Verma and Tim David joined hands to lead the charge in the final phase of the innings.
Batting first, the Rajasthan Royals did not get the kind of start they’ve been used to this season. Jos Buttler, who has been destroying bowling attacks for fun, was tied up and Devdutt Padikkal too could not break the shackles.
Led by Jasprit Bumrah, MI’s bowling did a fine job while the fielding restrictions were on. Hrithik Shokeen was the first to strike, when he had Padikkal caught by Kieron Pollard for 15 off as many deliveries.
Buttler was joined by skipper Sanju Samson, who also has been in good form, and seemed too settle in quickly, smashing a couple of sixes off Shokeen, as the Royals moved to 53/1 after 7 overs. That though was that for Samson, as the new man Kumar Kartikeya had him caught by Tim David at deep point for 16 off 7 deliveries.
MI’s bowlers continued to keep things tight after that as well with Buttler and Daryl Mitchell unable to up the scoring rate. Neither had their timing going, and had to work hard for their runs. Since the fall of Samson’s wicket, the Royals had hit only a couple of boundaries, as they huffed and puffed their way to 91/2 in the 14th over, when Kartikeya finished his spell with figures off 1/19.
The 15th started with Daniel Sams getting Mitchell caught for 17 off 20 balls by Rohit at cover. At the time, Buttler was batting on 38 from 44 deliveries with the Royals desperate for some momentum in the final phase of the innings. The over also broke the boundary drought when Sams’ bouncer went over everyone and into the fence.
Off the next over, which was quite eventful, Shokeen’s third, Buttler found his gears, and the young spinner was clobbered for four back-to-back sixes. Buttler got to his fifty with the second six in the over but Shokeen had the last laugh, and him caught by Suryakumar Yadav at long off. Buttler was gone for 67 as Shokeen bagged his second wicket.
Burmah rolled in a quick and economical over after which Riley Meredith packed off Riyan Parag for 3, before R Ashwin picked off a boundary and a six. Ashwin then took on Bumrah and got two boundaries, as RR moved beyond 150.
Ashwin was dismissed for 21 off 9 by Meredith in the final over before Shimron Hetmyer finished the innings with a single in a 3-run over. Hetmyer finished unbeaten on 5 as the Royals finished with 158/6.
In response, Mumbai got off to a good start with Ishan Kishan attacking from the get-go. However, birthday boy Rohit did not have a good outing, dismissed for 2 b Ashwin, caught as he tried to clear the ropes.
Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav had their task cut out, and they set out scoring at good clip. Attacking the Royals attack, even as Ashwin kept things very tight. They added 18 quick runs before Trent Boult sent Kishan packing, caught behind for 26 off 18, just as he was looking like he had settled in.
Surya and Tilak Varma, MI’s best batters in the tournament so far, joined hands, and kept the scoreboard moving, not letting the required run-rate get out of hand. After 11 overs, MI had 85 on the board with 2 back in the hut, nonetheless, Surya and Tilak had settled in putting on a solid half-century stand to steady the ship.
Samson went to Boult, Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Sen as they tried to break the stand, but Surya and Tilak continued in their merry ways. And Suryakumar brought up his fifty in grand style, lifting Ashwin into the stands over long on in the 14th. Ashwin finished with figures of 1/21, with his last over going for 11. MI were firmly in the box seat and their best batters were in the middle, and set.
Chahal got clattered for a six by Tilak after that but ended the over with the wicket of Suryakumar, who was looking over long on, but Riyan Parag took a fine catch in the deep. Suryakumar’s 51 off 39 balls had put MI in a good position but finishing it off would be quite the task. The duo had put on a stand of 81 runs.
Off the next over, Parag was in the thick of it again, catching Tilak at long on off Prasidh, sending the southpaw back for 35 off 30 deliveries. Kieron Pollard and Tim David had their task cut out under immense pressure.
David whacked Chahal for six to release some pressure. Chahal finished with 1/33 as MI needed 25 from 3 overs. David then got a streaky boundary past Samson off the inside edge of Kuldeep Sen, before he crashed him through the covers off the next. Off the final 2 overs, MI needed 12.
Prasidh went for 8 as Pollard and David ran the twos hard, bringing it down to 4 off the final over. MI lost Pollard in the final over but Daniel Sams hammered it over cow corner and into the stands to give his side a 5-wicket win with 4 balls to spare. David at the other end remained unbeaten on 20.
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