Win Projections to be updated soon
IPL 2024 On Monday, April 1, the Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals played an exciting match of cricket at the storied Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. MI was invited to bat first under the leadership of Hardik Pandya, but RR made the wise choice to bowl first.
The visiting bowlers showed their mettle right away, sending players like Rohit Sharma and Naman Dhir back to the pavilion in the first over. Impact substitute Dewald Brevis also made the torturous journey back in the third over. Captain Hardik then took it upon himself to steer the sinking ship, and he scored 34 off 21 to provide some momentum.
After 20 overs, MI could only manage 125/9, with no other batsman appearing to be at ease at the crease. RR encountered early difficulties in response, but Ravichandran Ashwin and Riyan Parag’s collaboration helped Rajasthan get closer to victory. With 27 balls left and six wickets behind, the visiting team eventually prevailed easily.
Talking Points
1. Wankhede is rocked by Trent Boult
Kiwi pacer Trent Boult defeated Naman Dhir and Rohit Sharma in the opening over. He forced a football-style scoresheet in a cricket match at the Wankhede with his second, sending back Dewald Brevis. With just 22 runs conceded in his four overs, Boult finished his outstanding performance with three wickets. Mumbai thus never fully recovered from the shocks inflicted by the left-armer. Because of his outstanding bowling performance, the pacer was named Player of the Match.
2. In the race for the Orange Cap, Riyan Parag passes Kohli.
Against a strong Mumbai bowling team, Assamese all-rounder Riyan Parag produced another magnificent blow to keep up his excellent streak. Together with spin specialist Piyush Chawla, Parag produced a powerful performance to help RR win against players like Gerald Coetzee, Jasprit Bumrah, and Akash Madhwal. In the Orange Cap race, he defeated Virat Kohli with a 39-ball-54*. While they have both scored 181 runs thus far, Parag’s strike rate is higher.
Winning captain Sanju Samson said:
“[The toss] I think that was the gamechanger. The toss was very crucial. I felt it was too sticky to start off and we had the experience of Trent Boult and Nandre Burger’s speed. [Boult] has been playing international cricket for so long and we expected him to deliver. I didn’t expect four or five wickets down, but it was great. We all do our roles and move on. Someone like R Ashwin knew we had a good powerplay so he didn’t go for wickets, just kept it tight. So it’s about teamwork.”
Losing skipper Hardik Pandya said:
“We didn’t start the way we wanted to, tough night tonight. [On his innings] I think we were in a decent position to give us a chance to get to 150 or 160 but I think my wicket changed the game and brought them more in the game and I think I could have done better. [The pitch] It’s good to have something for the bowlers as well. The game is quite cruel to the bowlers. But it was unexpected. It’s all about doing the right things. Results, sometimes it happens sometimes it doesn’t. I don’t think much surprises me anymore. But as a group we believe we can pull off a lot of better things going forward and we just need to be more disciplined and show more courage.”
Player of the Match Trent Boult said:
“[First over wickets] Never say it’s a certainty in the format, but it was nice to get the wickets. We created early pressure, nice to take some wickets and glad the result went our way. [On the Rohit wicket] I’ve played against Rohit a lot over the years and it was just about trying to do something different. It rarely comes off, you try something different and it works, but great when it does. [On Burger] He has been a great find. Bowls with great skill and plays with his heart on his sleeves. Sandeep obviously missed out but he’ll play a big role in the season. Excited to be part of this bowling attack.”
India
