Mumbai Indians193 for 4 (Yadav 79*, Sharma 35, Gopal 2-28) beat Rajasthan Royals 136 (Butter 70, Archer 24, Bumrah 4-20, Pattinson 2-19) by 57 runs
An inventive 79 not out off 47 balls from Suryakumar Yadav – his highest score in the IPL – carried the Mumbai Indians to 193 for 4, setting up their fourth victory in six matches this IPL. In pursuit of a tall target, the Rajasthan Royals lost three wickets in the powerplay, including that of their captain Steven Smith and Sanju Samson. Jos Buttler then slugged a 44-ball 70, threatening a comeback, but the Royals were ultimately dismissed for 136 in 18.1 overs.
The 57-run victory – which also featured a fearsome Jasprit Bumrah spell (4-20) – meant Mumbai climbed to the top of the points table followed by the Delhi Capitals, who have played one match fewer, at No.2.
After Quinton de Kock and Rohit Sharma sped away to 49-run opening stand, Yadav, in contrast, got off to a slow start – he was on 12 off 11 balls at one point. He watched Sharma and Ishan Kishan hole out off successive balls. He then watched Krunal Pandya, who was promoted to No.5 ahead of his younger brother Hardik and Kieron Pollard, struggle to 12 off 17 balls. However, Yadav’s wide range of strokes ensured Mumbai still took 68 from their last five overs and finished very strongly.
Sharma, de Kock quick off the blocks
De Kock, who regained form with 67 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in Sharjah, set the tone in Abu Dhabi, too, with a crisp four off the first delivery from Ankit Rajpoot, who was picked ahead of left-arm seamer Jaydev Unadkat. The ball slid onto the bat in the early exchanges, with Sharma also using the extra pace of Rajpoot to his advantage. After launching him into the Royals dug out over the long-off fence, he sat back, waiting for the short ball and cracked it away to the left of sweeper cover.
Smith used as many as five bowlers in the powerplay, but it was 19-year old debutant Kartik Tyagi who produced the breakthrough when he bounced out de Kock for 23. Sharma progressed to 35 before legspinner Shreyas Gopal had him caught at long-on with a wrong’un. His first delivery to Kishan, too was a wrong’un, which he spliced to extra-cover. Mumbai were 88 for 3 in the 10th over.
A scoopful of Surya
After using his long reach to get to a pitch of a Gopal legbreak and pump it over extra-cover, Yadav hung back and placed Tyagi either side of third man for fours. Another great piece of placement – late-cut between the keeper and short third man for four brought him a fifty off 33 balls.
The Royals had reserved two overs of Jorfra Archer for Pollard and Hardik at the death, but in the end Pollard wasn’t needed at all. While Hardik forced Archer down the ground for four, Yadav unfurled his ramps and scoops to pepper the ‘V’ behind the wicket and provide Mumbai with a fine final surge.
More to follow…