Mumbai lost three straight games, while the Royals won their third game of the competition.
Mumbai Indians (MI) are the sole team in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) to have not yet opened their account, following an utter defeat at the hands of Rajasthan Royals (RR). Arriving at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, fans anticipated their home club would score quickly, but Sanju Samson and company turned it into a one-sided match, save for a three-wicket burst from Akash Madhwal.
After winning the toss, the visitors decided to field, and they got off to the perfect start as world-class bowler Trent Boult performed his customary magic with the new ball. Following a mini-collapse, Tilak Varma and captain Hardik Pandya counterattacked, but Yuzvendra Chahal also jumped in to add insult to injury for the MI squad.
The target the hosts set against a strong batting lineup was a meagre 126 runs. They went from being 76 for 4 to 114 for 9. After Yashasvi Jaiswal provided his team a quick start, Riyan Parag, who hit 54 off of 39 balls, kept the momentum going. Mumbai lost three straight games, while the Royals won their third game of the competition.
Highlight of MI vs. RR’s second inning
Powerplay 1: Overs 0.1 to 6 (Mandatory – 46/2)
MI’s Kwena Maphaka, who had a terrible debut in the last game, led the attack once more. Despite giving up two boundaries, he provided his team a strong start by dismissing the highly effective Yashasvi Jaiswal. Jasprit Bumrah held the second over tight, conceding six extras, but Maphaka let it rip in the third over when the RR captain smashed back-to-back boundaries. After making his debut in the fifth over, Akash Madhwal removed Samson from the game.
See also: IPL2024: Rohit Sharma requests that the Wankhede crowd refrain from “booing” Hardik Pandya during the MI vs. RR match.
Rajasthan Royals: 7 overs and 50 runs
Bumrah bowled the third over without giving up a run, and in the last over of the powerplay, he gave up just two runs. Once again, Madhwal delivered a massive blow, this time taking out Jos Buttler with the third ball of the seventh over. Ryan Parag’s single off the last delivery put the team up to 50/3.
Rajasthan Royals 60/3 (8 overs) is the first strategic time-out.
At this point, Rajasthan had lost three wickets but still had the upper hand in the match. With the experienced Ravichandran Ashwin, who was moved up the order after they lost some early wickets, Parag got off to a good start.
Rajasthan Royals: 13.4 overs and 100 runs
With the fourth ball of the 14th over, Bumrah was hit by Parag for a boundary, putting RR in a secure position at 100 runs. As Madhwal grabbed his third wicket of the evening, they lost Ashwin in the preceding over.
See also: IPL2024: Piyush Chawla is sent packing by Shimron Hetmyer’s shout during the MI vs. RR match
Rajasthan Royals: 127/4 in 15.3 overs at the end of the game
Following Ashwin’s dismissal, RR brought on their impact sub, Shubham Dubey, for the remainder of the trip. In the 14th and 15th overs, Parag struck a pair of boundaries to move the team closer to the finish line. The match-winner from the previous game did not waste any time in securing a comprehensive victory for the Royals with two sixes and a boundary off the first three balls of the 16th over. With their third victory, RR took the lead in the standings, while MI’s third defeat solidified their place at the bottom.
