Rajasthan Royals cruised to a comfortable 9-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Monday. The win, their seventh of the season, keeps them firmly in the race for the playoffs.
The hero of the hour for the Royals was pacer Sandeep Sharma, who returned from injury in style. Sharma ripped through the Mumbai batting line-up, picking up a career-best 5 wickets for just 18 runs. His spell restricted Mumbai to a below-par total of 179 runs.
Yashasvi Jaiswal then took over the chase with a magnificent century. The young opener remained unbeaten on 104 runs off just 60 balls, his knock studded with 10 fours and 5 sixes. Jaiswal’s dominant knock ensured Rajasthan chased down the target with 8 balls and 9 wickets to spare.
Sandeep Sharma dismantles Mumbai batting
Mumbai Indians, who elected to bat first, got off to a disastrous start. Trent Boult removed Rohit Sharma early, and Sandeep Sharma ran riot thereafter. The pacer dismissed Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav cheaply, leaving Mumbai reeling at 45/3 after the PowerPlay.
A 99-run partnership between Tilak Varma (64 runs) and Nehal Wadhera (49 runs) brought some stability to the Mumbai innings. However, once Sandeep Sharma returned for his second spell, he scalped both the set batsmen and cleaned up the tail, restricting Mumbai to a paltry 179.
Jaiswal seals the win with a ton
Rajasthan Royals, in response, started their chase with positive intent. Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal took the Mumbai attack to the cleaners, scoring 61 runs in the PowerPlay. While Buttler fell soon after, Jaiswal continued his onslaught. He reached his fifty off just 32 balls and never looked back.
Jaiswal smashed boundaries at will and brought up his second IPL century in just 59 balls. The knock marked a return to form for the talented youngster, who had been struggling earlier in the season.
Other talking points
- Yuzvendra Chahal, playing against his former team, became the first bowler to reach 200 wickets in IPL history.
- This win takes Rajasthan Royals to the top of the points table, although they have played one more game than some of the other teams.
Looking ahead
The win will boost the confidence of the Rajasthan Royals as they look to solidify their place in the playoffs. Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, will need to regroup quickly as they face the Delhi Capitals in their next match.
