Cricket is a great leveller. Just two days ago at the same venue, Rajasthan Royals (RR) chased down a massive 210 in under 16 overs. Fast forward to today, and they were bundled out for just 117 while chasing 217 — suffering a crushing 100-run defeat to Mumbai Indians (MI). MI notched up their sixth consecutive victory and climbed to the top of the table. RR have now been officially knocked out of the playoff race.
All eyes were on Vaibhav Suryavanshi, the centurion from the previous match, to deliver another explosive performance. However, Deepak Chahar ended that hope in just four deliveries. In the very next over, RR’s leading run-scorer this season, Yashasvi Jaiswal, was cleaned up by Trent Boult. The duo that laid the foundation for the last win was gone, and what followed was a complete batting collapse.
RR’s highest partnership came for the last wicket — a 26-run stand between Jofra Archer and Akash Madhwal. Archer top-scored with 30. It was a dismal display from the top and middle order.
MI’s attack was relentless. With the exception of Corbin Bosch, every bowler chipped in. Boult and Karn Sharma picked up three wickets each, Jasprit Bumrah claimed two, while Chahar and Hardik Pandya took one apiece.
For MI, two big partnerships proved to be enough to put on a daunting total. After a quiet opening three overs, Ryan Rickelton and Rohit Sharma shifted gears. Rohit narrowly escaped an LBW decision early on — the ball pitching just outside leg — and from there, the duo began to find their rhythm.
They picked up pace once settled, with boundaries flowing freely. The powerplay yielded 58 runs, and the scoring rate accelerated as both openers reached their fifties, putting together a 116-run stand.
Although they were dismissed in back-to-back overs, the foundation had been laid for Suryakumar Yadav and Pandya to finish the job. Pandya moved up the order and went on the attack, matching Suryakumar stroke for stroke. The pair shared a crucial 94-run stand, with 71 runs coming off the final five overs. Both finished on identical scores — a blistering 48 each off 23 deliveries.
RR struggled to make inroads with the ball. Fazalhaq Farooqi went wicketless for the fourth game in a row and was the most expensive of the lot. Archer couldn’t make an impression with either the new or old ball, while Madhwal’s debut for RR was forgettable as he was taken to the cleaners by his former teammates.
