Rohit: We should have got 15-20 more, but I don’t want to be too harsh, we have played some good cricket recently. Innings like this can happen, we just have to keep our heads up. He [Buttler] has been in great form, he didn’t give us any chances, but we bowled well. We need to see how we can come back in the next two games.
RAJASTHAN WIN BY 7 WICKETS
RR 171/3 in 18 Overs
The brilliant Buttler finishes things off a huge six over long on! It is watched on by his delighted teammates and his mother in the stands. Rajasthan move to fifth in the table and are behind Kolkata only on run rate. Mumbai slip to sixth in the table and will need help from the other teams if they have to qualify.
RR 165/3 in 17.5 Overs
Samson tries to finish things off in a hurry and chips a wide slow ball to the hands of substitute Rahul Chahar at deep point. A delivery ago, Samson had hammered Hardik for back-to-back sixes on the leg side. Too little, too late for Mumbai.
S Samson c R Chahar b H Pandya 26 (14)
RR 153/2 in 17 Overs
McClenaghan was under pressure and bowled a couple of wides. The required rate slipped to under six-an over with yet another thumping boundary from Buttler back over the bowler’s head. 16 needed from 18 now.
RR 144/2 in 16 Overs
Samson gets into the act with a paddle sweep and an agricultural thwack down the ground – both reached the boundary in a flash and the equation is almost down to a run-a-ball. There are some Mumbai fans who are making it to the exit gates. Poor over from Markande and the time-out is called for.
RR 132/2 in 15 Overs
Brutal Buttler continues his carnage and the crowd has gone stunned in silence. He has moved into the eighties after hammering Bumrah for a four and powerful six. The maximum went over the deep square leg boundary. The match is slipping away from Mumbai thick and fast. Thrillingly good from Buttler.
RR 118/2 in 14 Overs
Buttler takes away the momentum in the matter of seconds. Once again, he targets the area back over the bowler’s head. Pandya disappears for a six and then goes for a four after delivering a full toss. The over ends with a brace. Buttler in cruise control.
WICKET! RR 104/2 in 13.1 Overs Much-needed wicket for Mumbai as Rahane holes at long on. Suryakumar leaped forward and took a fine catch with his back on the floor. Mumbai’s window towards making a comeback is on.
A Rahane c Yadav b Hardik Pandya 37 (36)
RR 99/1 after 12 Overs
Buttler completes his fifth consecutive fifty with a crunching cover drive off Hardik. The Englishman has been magnificent and just like the last game, needs to kick on till the end. He equals Virender Sehwag’s record of five back-to-back fifties. Rahane needs to move up a gear quickly and is showing signs of getting stuck at the crease.
RR 86/1 after 11 Overs
Oh, Buttler’s is taking rapid strides towards completing his fifth consecutive fifty. He smashed Markande over cow cover for a magnificent six. Once again, though, Krunal eases the pressure on his side with a good over. A review was thrown away by Mumbai after Rahane was adjudged not out from a leg before shout. Replays showed that the ball had miss leg by a mile. Krunal’s spell ends with figures of 4-0-24-0.
RR 71/1 after 9 Overs
Buttler’s aggressive intent continues after the powerplay as he thumps Markande back over his head for another boundary. But Krunal pulls things back with another good over, conceding just five singles off it. He beat Buttler with a peach, pitching on leg and beating the batsman with turn. It went just an inch over the bails.
RR 58/1 after 7 Overs
Bumrah comes back into the attack and bowls a fine over to put the brakes on the scoring...just as we type that, a slow ball from the pacer is dispatched to the boundary by Buttler. Rajasthan will be happy with this.
RR 51/1 after 6 Overs
The boundaries keep on coming as Mumbai face the wrath of Buttler’s blade. A knuckle-ball from Hardik is slapped down the ground for a boundary. The all-rounder, though, makes a spirited comeback in the last two balls of the over, getting two dot balls.
RR 44/1 after 5 Overs
And...just like that, the momentum has shifted and how. Rahane got a couple of boundaries off McClenaghan and Buttler launched into Krunal, lifting him over cover for a four and sweeping him behind square for a six. Rohit Sharma needs to break this partnership quickly.
RR 23/1 after 3 Overs
Rajasthan continue to meander through the powerplay overs. Mumbai thought they had seen the back of Buttler as Markande dived forward for a low take at square leg. Replays showed that the ball had bounced before going into his hands. Fine start for Krunal Pandya too, just getting five from the over.
RR 18/1 after 2 Overs
Good start for Mitchell McClenaghan, pitching it up but not allowing the batsmen to swing at it. Just five runs from the over.
RR 9/1 after 1 Over
Yet another disappointing outing for D’Arcy Short as a tame forward defence sees him get a big nick and Kishan behind the stumps makes no mistake, diving to his left. Terrific line from Bumrah.
D’Arcy Short c Kishan b Bumrah 4 (5)
MI finish at 168/6 in 20 Overs
Fine finish for Mumbai in the last two overs, which accounted for 32 runs and a wicket. Cutting also joined in the act in the last over, hammering a monstrous six off Stokes. We think the score is slightly under-par. Archer and Co deserve a lot of credit. Mumbai’s middle-order woes continue.
MI 166/6 after 19.5 Overs
What a catch from Samson! Hardik Pandya, who was going hammer and tongs has to make the long walk back after Samson takes one of the catches of the season. The fielder had to run fifteen metres to his right, dive full length and take it. Samson makes it look like a walk in the park. He took it with one hand. Outstanding stuff.
H Pandya c Samson b Stokes 36 (21)
MI 155/5 after 19 Overs
Hardik Pandya leads Mumbai’s revival. Big hitting at his best as he creams Undakat for 6,4,6. All the deliveries were in the slot and Mumbai cross 150 with ease. Then Jofra Archer, who was exceptional with the ball, drops an absolute sitter off Ben Cutting. Nineteen runs from the over and Rajasthan’s good spell has ended. That was sloppy, from Undakat and later, from Archer.
WICKET! MI 131/5 after 16.5 Overs
Krunal deceived by Unadkat’s slower ball. It was a skier and Gowtham managed to catch it on his second attempt. It bobbed out but he was alert.
K Pandya c Gowtham b Unadkat 3 (7b)
WICKET! MI 119/4 after 14.2 Overs
And we have another wicket. RR are killing the momentum of this MI innings with wickets. MI’s hero of the last match, Ishan Kishan, holes out in the deep. There is something about this wicket that is making strokeplay difficult.
Ishan Kishan c Samson b Stokes 12 (11b, 1X4)
WICKET! MI 108/3 after 13.2 Overs
Another one goes as Lewis tries to slice the ball and Samson at deep cover moves quickly and gobbles it up with ease. Fine knock from the left-hander. He lived by the sword and died by it.
E Lewis c Samson b Kulkarni 60 (42)
MI 99/2 after 12 Overs
SIX more! Lewis continues to be brave with his shot-making and completes his fifty with a humongous maximum over the bowler’s head. That landed in the third tier.
WICKET! MI 87/2 after 10.5 Overs
What a catch from Unadkat! Short ball from Archer at jet speed and Rohit has very little time to get his hands down on that. The ball flies at speed and Undakat positions himself well to pouch. Two from two and Rajasthan are well and truly back in the game.
Rohit Sharma c Unadkat b Archer 0 (1)
WICKET! MI 87/1 after 10.4 Overs
Undakat worked this one out but Suryakumar has only himself to blame after withdrawing into a shell in the last few overs. He attempts the pull from a short delivery and Unadkat at fine-leg takes a fine low catch diving in front.
S Yadav c Undadkat b Archer 38 (30)
MI 79/0 after 9 Overs
Back-to-back sixes for Lewis! The left-hander first slogs over cover and then steps out and hammers it over long-off. Both hits easily clear the fence. Shreyas Gopal, under fire, comes back well in the latter half of the over. Still, 17 came from the over.
MI 62/0 after 8 Overs
Surykaumar’s onslaught continues as Unadkat is treated to a gorgeous lofted drive over the off-side ring. However, things have improved for Rajasthan in the last few overs as the openers lose a little bit of fluency.
MI 51/0 after 6 Overs
The runs continue to come thick and fast and Lewis has also settled in. The cover driver off Kulkarni was a picture of class. Mumbai get to their fifty with the soutpaw carting a full-toss over the off-side ring. Rahane has used as many as five boundaries in the powerplay overs. Time-out called and Rajasthan have work to do.
MI 34/0 after 4 Overs
Nothing going Rajasthan’s way so far and Lewis is dropped by Binny at mid-on off Archer. The all-rounder did well to get under the ball but it burst through his fingers. Meanwhile, Suryakumar continues to blaze away and gets two more boundaries – this time off Archer. Remember, Surykumar was also dropped. Rajasthan need a wicket quickly.
MI 20/0 after 2 Overs
Runs come thick and fast for Mumbai. Rajasthan’s ploy of opening with Gowtham fails this time around as the in-form Suryakumar hammers him for three boundaries in the first over. Evin Lewis follows suit in the second over with a boundary of his own but Kulkarni pulls things back in the rest of the over. There are no demons on the pitch and it looks like it’s going to be a treat for the batsmen,
TOSS: Ajinkya Rahane has won the toss and opted to field at Mumbai. D’Arcy Short replaces Ish Sodhi for Rajasthan. Mumbai are unchanged.
Hello and welcome. Mumbai Indians, after getting off to a poor start have picked up considerable momentum during their last few games and at the Wankhede Stadium, look like the favourites to walk away with a win.
Such has been Mumbai’s form that they have been looking like the most dangerous team in the tournament over the last couple of weeks.
Rajasthan Royals are also in the fray for a spot in the playoffs and any target is surmountable if the in-form Jos Buttler gets going. The Englishman smashed a chanceless unbeaten 95 against Chennai Super Kings as Rajasthan got over the line in their previous game. This should be a cracker.