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Sandeep Sharma, Jaiswal power Rajasthan to victory

cricket22 April 2024 18:40| © MWP
By:Patrick Compton
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Sandeep Sharma © Getty Images

Sandeep Sharma claimed a career-best 5/18 while opener Yashasvi Jaiswal struck a brilliant unbeaten hundred to power Rajasthan Royals to a nine-wicket victory over the Mumbai Indians at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Monday.

Needing 180 for victory after Sandeep Sharma’s heroics, Jaiswal and Jos Buttler got Rajasthan off to the perfect start with an opening partnership of 74 in eight overs – their best start in this year’s competition – before Buttler (35 in 24 balls) was bowled by a quicker delivery from legspinner Piyush Chawla that skidded through to hit his off-stump.

There was a brief moment around this time when Mumbai came back into the match after a rain delay of about 30 minutes, with South Africa’s Gerald Coetzee bowling at express pace to briefly unsettle Jaiswal. But he and skipper Sanju Samson and Jaiswal were soon back into their rhythm to send the table-topping Royals to another victory and the double over their opponents, condemning them to further anxiety as they remain in the bottom half of the table eight points behind the leaders.

 

Until this match, Jaiswal had had a somewhat disappointing IPL with a top score of 39. Too often he had given his wicket away with a rash stroke when well set. On this occasion, however, he showed maturity, power and excellent shot selection to power his way to 104 in 60 balls in an innings that included nine fours and seven sixes. He and Samson added an unbroken 109 for the second wicket as Rajasthan reached their target at a canter with nine balls to spare.

Mumbai didn’t help themselves with some poor fielding, dropping three catches with both Jaiswal and Samson reprieved in the outfield.

Earlier, paceman Sharma returned from injury to spearhead his team’s attack most impressively after Mumbai had won the toss and taken first strike. Paceman Trent Boult struck the first, significant, blow when he had kingpin Rohit Sharma caught in his first over, spiralling a catch to wicketkeeper Samson. It was the 26th time in the IPL that he had taken a wicket in his first over, more than anyone else.

But then it was the turn of Sharma. He took his first wicket in his opening over, having Ishan Kishan caught behind fishing outside his off-stump, with Samson completing the catch. He then had the dangerous Suryakumar Yadav miscuing a drive to Rovman Powell at long-on in his second over.

Another vital wicket came when he had Tilak Varma (65 off 45 balls) caught in the deep before disposing of Gerald Coetzee and Tim David off consecutive deliveries in the final over of the innings. Only three runs were scored off the over, with Avesh Khan also impressing in the penultimate over, conceding only six.

Mumbai had made a poor start, losing three wickets in the power play and four for 52 shortly afterwards when Mohammad Nabi was caught and bowled by Yuzvendra Chahal to give the 33-year-old legspinner his 200th wicket in the IPL, the first bowler to reach the landmark.

Mumbai came back into the match with a superb fifth-wicket partnership of 99 in 52 balls between Tilak Varma (65 off 45 balls) and Nehal Wadhera (49 off 24 balls, including 3x4s and 4x6s). The pair looked to have pushed Mumbai towards the 200 mark with their fine batting but when the aggressive Wadhera became the fifth wicket to fall on 151, the Royals wrapped up the innings efficiently

RAJASTHAN ROYALS: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (capt, wk), Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Ravi Ashwin, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal

MUMBAI INDIANS: Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (capt), Tim David, Nehal Wadhera, Mohammad Nabi, Gerald Coetzee, Piyush Chawla, Jasprit Bumrah

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