Mumbai, May 24 (IANS) Fine rearguard action by their lower-order batters helped Rajasthan Royals recover from losing their top-order cheaply and post 205/8 against the Mumbai Indians in a must-win match in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.
Rajasthan, who need to win their last league match to secure a spot in the playoffs, reached a challenging total, though there was no defining knock in their innings that lurched from one wicket to another in hot and humid conditions.
From 54/3 after the Power-play, the RR innings lost steam in the middle overs as they could manage only 46/1 in the overs between 7 and 11 and 48/2 in the next set of four from 12 to 16. However, their lower order smashed 73 runs in the last five overs to take them past 200.
Deepak Chahar, who replaced Jasprit Bumrah in the playing XI, and Shardul Thakur claimed two wickets apiece for MI, while Will Jacks (1-12), AM Ghazanfar (1-45), and Corbin Bosch (1-33) bagged a wicket apiece in a fine bowling effort by MI
Asked to bat first, RR got off to a brisk start with Yashasvi Jaiswal hitting Deepak Chahar for a six each in his first two overs. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi nearly struck the first six of the match, but Will Jacks dived across the rope and flicked it back for a single.
Jaiswal (27 off 17), who survived a huge shout for lbw after the TV official went with 'umpire's call' on an MI review, played one shot too many and perished, mistiming an attempted big one against a well-pitched ball outside the off by Will Jacks and spooning it straight to point, where Corbin Bosch pouched it gleefully.
Sooryavanshi (4) fell into inertia and suffered trying to emerge out of it, caught by Naman Dhir off Chahar. Rajasthan skipper Ryan Parag struck two fours and a six for an 8-ball 14, taking them past fifty, but perished on the last ball of Power-play, edging AM Ghazanfar to backward point, where Tilak Varma pulled off an easy catch, leaving the Royals tottering at 54/3.
Dhruv Jurel and Dasun Shanaka performed a mini-rescue act, taking the winner of the inaugural IPL to 99 before the Sri Lankan all-rounder, who struck three big sixes, ran himself out for 29 off 15 balls. Rajasthan's woes continued as Jurel departed soon after, bowled by a superb yorker by Bosch, and RR slumped to 119/5 in the 13th over. Jurel struck three fours, two off successive deliveries from Ghazanfar, and two sixes for his 26-ball 38.
Donovan Ferreira (16) hammered a six each off Raghu Sharma and Chahar, but was back in the dugout soon. Chahar had the last laugh, having him caught by Bosch off a short, slow, and wide delivery on the ball after being swung over for a six.
Jofra Archer smashed two sixes and a four in his 15-ball 32 cameo, but RR were pushed to the brink by a double-wicket over by Shardul Thakur. Ravindra Jadeja. coming in an Impact Sub, struck a couple of boundaries in his 11-ball 19 while Nandre Burger blasted his first T20 six during his 3-ball 10 as RR went past the 200-run mark
But in the end, that may not prove enough considering the Mumbai Indians' strong batting line-up, as conditions are expected to ease up in the second innings.
Brief scores:
Rajasthan Royals 205/8 in 20 overs (Dhruv Jurel 38, Jofra Archer 32; Shardul Thakur 2-41, Deepak Chahar 2-43) against Mumbai Indians.
--IANS
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