30 April,2023 11:53 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Cameron Green in action (Pic: AFP)
Mumbai Indians will have to bring their 'A-game' to the show in order to stop Rajasthan Royals' juggernaut when the two teams meet in IPL's historic 1000th game on Sunday. RR are currently at the top of the table with some incredible performances, for example, their one-sided routing of Chennai Super Kings. Despite losing two of their last three matches, the Sanju Samson-led side is in prime form and has been delivering in all departments of the game. On the other hand, there are serious concerns for MI, especially their death bowling, which was responsible for their last two defeats in high-scoring games.
Also Read: Can MI stop Royals' juggernaut?
MI bowlers gave away a whopping 96 runs in the last 30 balls to allow Punjab Kings to run away with the match here at the Wankhede Stadium last weekend. If that was not enough, MI conceded 70 runs off the last 24 balls against defending champions Gujarat Titans.
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MI will need more from their top-order but the task on Sunday night will be to put a unified front, given that RR's batting has been consistent enough. In particular, Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav will have to fire to help MI resurrect their campaign. The side is languishing at the bottom and are currently placed eighth in the points table after the first half of the tournament.
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Tim David, Dewald Brevis, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tristan Stubbs, Vishnu Vinod, Cameron Green, Arjun Tendulkar, Ramandeep Singh, Shams Mulani, Riley Meredith Nehal Wadhera, Hrithik Shokeen, Arshad Khan, Duan Jansen, Piyush Chawla, Kumar Kartikeya, Raghav Goyal, Jofra Archer, Jason Behrendorff, Akash Madhwal.
Rajasthan Royals: Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c&wk), Dhruv Jorel, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, R Ashwin, Jason Holder, Trent Boult, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal, Navdeep Saini, M Ashwin, K M Asif, K C Cariappa, Donovan Ferreira, Devdutt Padikkal, Obey McCoy, Joe Root, Kuldeep Sen, Akash Vashist, Kuldip Yadav, Adam Zampa, Abdul Basith
Wicket-keepers: Sanju Samson (VC), Ishan Kishan
Batters: Jos Buttler, Yasasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma,
All-rounders: Cameron Green
Bowlers: Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jofra Archer, R Ashwin
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Cameron Green, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Tim David, Nehal Wadhera, Jofra Archer, Arjun Tendulkar, Hrithik Shokeen, Piyush Chawla
Rajasthan Royals: Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson (c/wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, R Ashwin, Sandeep Sharma, Adam Zampa, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal
Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson wins toss, opts to bat.
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma(c), Ishan Kishan(w), Cameron Green, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Tim David, Jofra Archer, Piyush Chawla, Kumar Kartikeya, Riley Meredith, Arshad Khan
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson(w/c), Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jason Holder, Trent Boult, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal
11:36 PM: 181/4 (18 overs)
Jason Holder misses his length and bowls a full toss, which Tim David capitalizes on by depositing the ball into the crowd for a six. It was poor bowling at this stage, and David made the most of the opportunity.
11:20 PM: 152/4 (15.4 overs)
Suryakumar Yadav departs to a stunning catch by Sandeep Sharma off Boult's delivery! It could very well be the catch of the season, as Sharma displayed his incredible athleticism and agility. The ball was slower in pace and outside off, tempting Suryakumar to attempt a ramp shot over short fine leg. Although he couldn't connect it cleanly, he thought he had hit it well enough. The ball hung in the air for a while, giving Sharma enough time to sprint back from his position inside the circle. He then dived full stretch and timed it to perfection, managing to hold onto the ball even as his entire body thudded onto the ground.
11:00 PM: 141/3 after 14 overs
Yuzvendra Chahal had a forgettable start, giving away 13 runs in his first over. However, Ravichandran Ashwin managed to break Ishan Kishan's scratchy innings, dismissing him for 28 runs. Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav showed his class and smashed Jason Holder for a hat-trick of fours. Ashwin had a personal milestone to celebrate as he claimed his 300th T20 wicket by dismissing Daniel Green. However, Kuldeep Sen's over proved to be costly as he gave away 20 runs. Tilak Varma made a smart move by successfully reviewing an LBW decision, and the decision was overturned. Chahal continued to struggle as he conceded 17 runs in another expensive over. These moments have added to the excitement of the match, keeping the fans on their toes.
10:56 PM: 101/3 (11)
R Ashwin, carrom ball and wicket! This is a story for ages! Mumbai are 3 down with the wicket of Green, and Rajasthan are well in the game even with the dew.
10:45 PM: 99/2 (10 overs)
Mumbai Indians are still dominating the required run rate, and with Suryakumar playing like this, no target seems to be out of reach for them. Rajasthan Royals have once again turned to Ashwin, who will bowl his full quota of overs.
10:30 PM: 76/2 after 8 overs
Off-spinner takes the wicket of the left-hander. R Ashwin outsmarts Ishan Kishan as he bowls outside off after noticing that the batter has stepped out.
10 PM: 58/1 (6 overs)
Rohit falls to Sandeep Sharma's knuckleball, bowled out! It's a crucial wicket. Sandeep strikes again with his deceptive slower delivery that the batsman couldn't read and backed away, only to miss the ball and lose his off-stump. The bail lit up in celebration, and the captain of Mumbai Indians has to depart. Unfortunately, it's another failure for him in what has been a challenging season. Both the batters are trying to up the scoring rate. The target is big and they have capitalised on the powerplay. MI has the depth to chase this target down and RR has the bowling to defend.
9:20 PM: 212/7 (20 overs)
'Lone warrior' Yashasvi Jaiswal 124 (62) got his team to a challenging total of runs after 20 overs at the Wankhede against the Mumbai Indians. As a result,, MI bowling attack have been taken to the cleaners tonight by the 21-year-old.
9:00 PM: 183/6 (18 Overs)
Yashasvi Jaiswal completes his hundred in just 53 balls, what a knock by the left-handed opener. He has single-handedly got Rajasthan Royals to a commanding position in this contest.
8:45 PM: 143/4 (14.1 Overs)
Jason Holder gets caught by Tim David off Jofra Archer's delivery. Mumbai Indians get another wicket as RR go 4 down now. Yashasvi Jaiswal is the only batter keeping them alive in this contest.
8:30 PM: 112/3 (11.5 Overs)
Piyush Chawla has outfoxed Devdutt Padikkal after Sanju Samson lost his wicket to Arshad Khan. Rajasthan Royals lose two wickets in quick succession. Mumbai Indians bounce back but Jaiswal is still in the middle.
8:20 PM: 87/1 (8.5 Overs)
Rajasthan Royals have lost their main man Jos Buttler to Piyush Chawla but have shown no signs of slowing down even after the dismissal. The run-rate is still at 10 runs per over.
8:10 PM: 59/0 (5.5 Overs)
Rajasthan Royals are on top at the moment as Mumbai Indians bring in their wicket-taking specialist Piyush Chawla early into the attack. RR have got off to a fine start in their powerplay.
7:50 PM: 30/0 (3 Overs)
Rajasthan Royals are off to a fine start with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler. Cameron Green and Jofra Archer have been given the duty to get the early wicket MI are searching for.
7:30 PM: Match begins!
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler open the batting for Rajasthan Royals. Cameron Green with the new ball for the Mumbai Indians. The pitch looks like it has some extra bounce for the pacers but Jaiswal smashes one over square leg for a maximum.
