The Rajasthan Royals onslaught continues to roll in the 2024 Indian Premier League defeating the Mumbai Indians by nine wickets on Monday at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. The 21-year-old opener Yashasvi Jaiswal stole the show scoring a brilliant unbroken 104 off just 60 balls to lead his team’s chase of 180 with ease.
Winning the Toss and Batting First
After winning the toss, Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya opted to bat first on a batting friendly Jaipur surface. However, the decision backfired as the Royals’ new ball duo of Trent Boult and Sandeep Sharma made early inroads to leave MI reeling at 6/2 in the second over.
Suryakumar Yadav (10) failed to capitalize on his start while Tilak Varma (65 off 45) was the only Mumbai batsman who showed some fight with a well-crafted half-century. The young left-hander added 72 runs for the 4th wicket with the experienced Mohammad Nabi (23) to resurrect the Mumbai innings.
Sandeep Sharma’s Five-fer Hurts Mumbai
However, the star of the Royals’ bowling attack was the veteran Sandeep Sharma who ran through the Mumbai middle and lower order with inswingers and impeccable line and length. The 29-year-old returned sensational figures of 5/18 in his four overs to restrict Mumbai to 179/9.
Apart from Sandeep, the Royals’ spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin also kept things tight conceding just 39 runs in their 8 overs while accounting for 3 wickets. Chahal became the first bowler to reach 200 IPL wickets during his spell.
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Jaiswal and Buttler’s Electric Start for Rajasthan Royals
The Royals could not have gotten off to a better start with Jaiswal and Jos Buttler putting on a blazing opening partnership of 74 in 7.2 overs chasing a modest 180 for victory. The Englishman hit 35 off just 25 balls before falling victim to Piyush Chawla.
However, there was no stopping Jaiswal who gained confidence with each over. The teenage left-hander used a variety of strokes including his signature cover drives, pulls and scoops over the infielders to keep the scoreboard ticking.
He was given excellent support by the Royals’ captain Sanju Samson who played a typically aggressive innings of 38* off just 22 balls. The pair stitched together an unbroken 109-run partnership to guide RR home with 8 balls to spare.
Jaiswal’s Dream Season Continues
For someone who was not even in RR’s initial playing XI this season Jaiswal’s performances have been nothing short of sensational. In 8 innings so far, he has already racked up 394 runs at an incredible average of 65.67 and a strike rate of 153.92. This was his second IPL century of the season.
The young opener appears to have elevated his game to another level displaying excellent technique against both pace and spin while also exhibiting the ability to strike the big shots at will. He has already struck 21 sixes this season this is the most by any batsman.
With his constant scoring streak, Jaiswal is building a solid case for a position in India’s ODI World Cup squad later this year. His compact approach and propensity to construct big innings make him a perfect prospect for the number 2 position which India has failed to secure in previous years.
Mumbai had another forgettable day as their season-long struggles persisted. There weren’t many additional highlights for the five-time champs except for Tilak Varma’s unwavering fifty years. Their bowling appeared casual with none of the bowlers able to apply any pressure to the Royals’ batters.
Sandeep Sharma was named the Player of the Match for his match-winning spell but Jaiswal’s incredible innings will be remembered as one of the finest knocks of this IPL season by a young Indian talent destined for greater heights.
With this win, the Royals have now consolidated their position in the top four with 12 points, while Mumbai slipped further down to 7th position with just 4 wins from 9 games. The road ahead looks extremely tough for Rohit Sharma’s men while the Royals will be hoping to ride Jaiswal’s purple patch deep into the tournament.