IPL 2021: RR vs MI Review – Mumbai stay in the hunt with 8-wicket win

When their backs are against a wall, trust Mumbai Indians to bounce back stronger than ever. And the defending champions proved this once again, beating Rajasthan Royals by 8 wickets in a must-win game at Sharjah. With this win, MI jump to 5th place on the points table. However, their qualification hopes still rest on how the remaining matches pan out.

The Royal Collapse

Earlier, Rohit won the toss and decided to bowl first on what looked like a tricky pitch. Mumbai dropped Quinton de Kock and Krunal Pandya, getting Ishan Kishan and James Neesham into the Playing XI. The decision worked wonders for MI, with Neesham immediately making an impact with the ball.

From 41/1, Rajasthan slipped to 50/5 halfway through their first innings and never really recovered. David Miller and Rahul Tewatia made 15 and 12 respectively, but there was literally no contribution from the batting order that struggled against Mumbai’s pace attack.

Neesham picked up three wickets while Nathan Coulter-Nile registered his best bowling figures in the IPL – 4 overs, 14 runs, 4 wickets. Jasprit Bumrah picked two wickets as well, one of them being the crucial first wicket in the form of Evin Lewis. Together, they choked Rajasthan’s batting that eventually finished with 90/9 in 20 overs.

Kishan back in form

It didn’t take too much time for Mumbai to finish the run-chase. Rohit started aggressively, scoring boundaries at regular intervals. But once he was gone, Kishan took charge and indulged in some fabulous stroke-play. His unbeaten 25-ball fifty included five fours and three sixes. Mumbai managed to chase down the total in just 8.2 overs and get their net run rate to a better place than before.

Top performers

Nathan Coulter-Nile: The Australian has been one of the more successful overseas bowlers in the last few years. Once again, on a slowish surface, he managed to trouble the batters and played a crucial role in dismantling Rajasthan’s batting.

James Neesham: The New Zealand all-rounder has a knack of picking wickets and also putting pressure on the batters. He did both of that in his second game for Mumbai this season. He gave only 12 runs in his four overs and picked up key wickets of Shivam Dube, Sanju Samson and Rahul Tewatia.

Ishan Kishan: There were some concerns over his form but a promotion to the opening slot seems to have given him a lot of confidence. He shut his critics up and responded with a terrific knock which ensured that Mumbai had a good run rate. He started with no run in his first six balls but eventually made up as the innings progressed.

Personal records/achievements

• Ishan Kishan reached 1000 runs for Mumbai Indians in the IPL
• Rohit Sharma became the first Indian batsman to hit 400 sixes in T20 cricket

Rajasthan Royals will now meet Kolkata Knight Riders on October 7 while Mumbai will play Hyderabad on October 8.