Mumbai Indians demolish Rajasthan Royals to win in 9th over
Reigning IPL champions Mumbai Indians only needed 8.2 overs of the second innings to announce their comeback into the IPL 2021. They chased down the 91-run target with eight wickets in hand.
Domino effect hits Royals
The Sharjah track played tricks on Rajasthan Royals, as it usually does for the teams batting first. The Royals were eyeing a target somewhere near 140, but their batters never extended their stay on the wicket.
Despite a promising start by Lewis and Yashasvi Jaiswal, the wickets kept on tumbling for the Royals, who have not slumped to second-last position in the points table with 10 points. Mumbai Indians have jumped to the fifth spot with 12 points.
“It was a challenging wicket to bat on, and coming to play in Sharjah was tough. Abu Dhabi was one of the best wickets we played on for batting,” RR skipper Sanju Samson said in the post-match interview. “It’s a bit tough and cloudy in the mind right now. But definitely, we will like to play better cricket from the next game. The pitch was a bit better in the second innings.”
Samson was the most-inform batter on both sides tonight but he too departed early (3). David Miller struggled to get his form back with 15 off 23. Rahul Tewatia too played a sluggish knock of 12 (20).
Kishan finds form
Ishan Khan’s struggle to get into a rhythm has been evident ever since the season kicked off in India. The left-hander has been seen swinging the bat in the middle overs only to send it straight to fielders.
In the last week’s game between Mumbai and Royal Challengers Bangalore, Virat Kohli was seen helping him and listening to what Kishan had to say about his form slump.
Whether a prep talk from Kohli or something else came into play, the young lefty struck the ball cleaner than ever around the park tonight. In a low-scoring contest, his 50* downed the Royals in a jiffy.
“Obviously, it’s nice to be back opening and getting the runs. It is a very nice feeling. We fielded first and got a good idea of the wicket,” Kishan said after the match.
Coulter-Nile gets his MOTM
Nathan Coulter-Nile has had quite a journey in the IPL. From sustaining a career-ending injury in his early days in the league to becoming a dependable bowler for Rohit Sharma, he has seen it all.
The Australian bowler bagged Man of the Match for his 4/14 that included 16 dot balls. He chipped away wickets for MI in the opening spell, middle overs and that death overs.
His lethal spells full of variations never allowed the Royals’ batters to get back into the contest. He used his mediocre pace to his best potential on Sharja’s slow wicket that did not support pace.
