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New Delhi: Mumbai Indians defeated Rajasthan Royals by eight wickets on the back of the top order batsmen after the bowlers. For Mumbai, it was a ‘do or die’ situation and the team kept its hopes alive of a place in the playoffs by registering a win here. Mumbai got the target of 91 runs from Rajasthan, which the team achieved by losing the wickets of captain Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav. Wicketkeeper and opener Ishan Kishan proved to be the hero in this match for the team, who played an unbeaten match-winning innings of 50 runs in just 25 balls with the help of five fours and three sixes. Apart from him, Rohit scored 22 runs in 13 ball
Earlier, on the basis of disciplined bowling by James Neesham and Nathan Coulter-Nile, Mumbai restricted Rajasthan to 90 for nine. This is the lowest T20 score for any team batting first in Sharjah. Mumbai captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and decided to bowl first, which was proved right by his bowlers. Neesham, playing the first match in the UAE leg of the IPL, took three wickets for 12 runs. He took full advantage of the help from the pitch, as the ball was not coming on the bat properly here.
Coulter-Nile, on the other hand, took four wickets for 14 runs in four overs. Neesham and Coulter-Nile conceded just 26 runs and took seven wickets, leaving the match in the hands of the Royals. Jasprit Bumrah took two wickets for 14 runs. The Royals’ innings was shattered within four overs. At one point his score was 41 for one and five wickets fell within 50 runs in the last over of the powerplay. Mumbai did not allow him to return to the match after that.
Sanju Samson (three), who was in form, was sent to the pavilion by Jayant Yadav. Shivam Dubey and Rahul Teotia, who performed brilliantly against Chennai Super Kings, could not even walk. The decision to include Neesham in the team in place of Krunal Pandya proved to be a master stroke. He bowled straight on the wicket without experimenting. Evin Lewis (24 off 19 balls) started well but could not play a big innings. Yashasvi Jaiswal fell victim to Coulter Nile scoring 12 runs.
