Hardik Pandya won the toss and surprised everyone with his decision to bat first. The 30-year-old was celebrating a milestone by playing his 100th IPL game for the Mumbai Indians.
Nuwan Thushara, a promising Sri Lankan bowler, was making his IPL debut in lieu of Romario Shepherd. Nehal Wadhera replaced Akash Madhwal in his first game of the season. The five-time IPL champions have replaced Shreyas Gopal with veteran Piyush Chawla.
Rajasthan Royals are coming off a last-gasp triumph over KKR just a few days ago. Jos Buttler, who started the game on the bench for the home team, hit a century. Kuldeep Sen was rested for the game, while Sandeep Sharma returned to the team after missing a few games due to injury.
Powerplay: Overs 0.1 to 6 (Mandatory: 45/3)
Mumbai Indians, like the previous game at Wankhede Stadium, found themselves in trouble early on. Trent Boult dismissed Rohit Sharma for six. Sandeep Sharma then explained how Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav left MI in difficulty.
Mumbai Indians: 50 runs in 7 overs.
Mohammad Nabi hit a few brilliant smashes immediately before the opening six overs were finished. Tilak Varma, who played smart cricket, provided valuable support to the seasoned Afghan great.
Milestone Alert: Yuzvendra Chahal has 200 wickets in the IPL.
It was a watershed event for the Indian Premier League. Yuzvendra Chahal, a veteran spinner, became the first bowler in league history to reach 200 wickets. Mohammad Nabi delivered a straightforward return catch to Chahal for 23 as the bowler fell to his knees and thanked the stars.
Also read: Yuzvendra Chahal becomes the first bowler to reach 200 IPL wickets
Mumbai Indians: First strategic time-out (52/4 off 7.3 overs)
Just as it appeared that the Mumbai Indians were regaining their footing in the game, tragedy struck. Mohammad Nabi was out for 23 off 17 balls, giving Chahal his first wicket of the day.
Mumbai Indians scored 100 runs from 13 overs.
Mumbai Indians needed six more overs to score their next 50 runs for the loss of only one wicket. Nehal Wadhera supported Tilak Varma well as he took control of the scoring.
Mumbai Indians’ second strategic time-out (120/4 from 14 overs).
Tilak Varma and Nehal Wadhera struck Avesh Khan for 19 runs. Nehal Wadhera, who was playing his first game of the season, smashed two sixes. With six overs in hand, the Mumbai Indians will hope to cause additional damage.
Tilak Varma scores half-century with 38 balls.
Tilak Varma stood up just as the Mumbai Indians needed inspiration. The teenage batsman produced his fifth IPL half-century, bringing Mumbai Indians back into the game. Yuzvendra Chahal, the first bowler to collect 200 IPL wickets, delivered a slog sweep to attain the milestone.
Milestone Alert: 1000 runs in IPL cricket for Tilak Varma.
Tilak Varma’s six runs not only brought him 50 runs but also his 1000th run in IPL cricket. The left-handed batter became the third youngest to attain the milestone, following Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Tilak Varma also reached the mark before Prithvi Shaw and Sanju Samson, with Shaw doing it in 21 years and 169 days versus Varma’s 21 years and 166.
Mumbai Indians: 150 runs in 15.5 overs.
Nehal Wadhera and Tilak Varma continued to pound the RR bowlers all over the field. With two sixes off Chahal, the MI combination signaled their intentions as the 150-run mark was reached in the 16th over.
Milestone Alert: Trent Boult reaches 250 wickets in T20 cricket
On the first ball of the 17th over, Nehal Wadhera mistimed a shot and Sandeep Sharma caught him for 49 runs. This delivered the veteran Kiwi pacer his 250th T20 wicket while also breaking a 99-run partnership between the two young Mumbai Indians batsmen.
Milestone alert: Sandeep Sharma’s first IPL fifer
It was a fantastic return to the team for bowler Sandeep Sharma, who scored his first IPL wicket. The spinner started off by dismissing Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav. He scored his first IPL fifer with three wickets in the final over of the innings.
Mumbai Indians scored 179/9 from 20 overs.
In the final two overs, the Rajasthan Royals made a comeback. Avesh Khan and Sandeep Sharma bowled a few tight overs to keep the Mumbai Indians from scoring a huge total. Sandeep Sharma was the home team’s ball-playing hero.
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