IPL 2022: MI break the duck finally, win five wickets against RR
Mumbai Indians played for pride and they would be happy to finally get on the board with a five-wicket victory against Rajasthan Royals on Saturday. A win on the back of eight consecutive defeats is way too little and way too late, but at least, the five-time champions have broken their duck in this IPL.
A good, collective bowling performance from MI had restricted Rajasthan Royals to 158/6. Kumar Kartikeya, the debutant left-arm spinner, was impressive and returned with 1/19 from his four overs. Riley Meredith worked up good pace, hit Jos Buttler on the helmet with a sharp bouncer and bagged 2/24.
Then, MI chased down the target via an 81-run third wicket partnership between Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma. There were jitters in the camp when Surya perished after scoring a 39-ball 51 and Varma departed a couple of deliveries later. Even in the final over, when only four runs were required for victory, Kieron Pollard’s dismissal had kept MI on the edge. But Daniel Sams hit the first ball he faced for a six and the MI fans were dancing in the aisles.
First win in the bag – Congratulations to #MI who have beaten #RR 5 wickets 👏👏#RRvMI | #TATAIPL | #IPL2022 pic.twitter.com/MDPru1K4pj
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 30, 2022
Royals dedicated this game to their departed legend, their iconic former captain Shane Warne. A win would have been a fitting tribute. They would hope that the defeat doesn’t break their momentum.
SKY shines bright and is leading #MI’s run-chase!
Brilliant half century courtesy Suryakumar Yadav
113/2 in 14 overs – MI need 46 from 36 balls #RRvMI | #TATAIPL | #IPL2022
Follow the game here: https://t.co/7GdkGvvdcz pic.twitter.com/yqlxmoOZUi
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 30, 2022
Jos the Boss continued his good run of form scoring a brilliant 67(52)
How good was he with the bat and how good were those 4 sixes 😎#RRvMI | #TATAIPL | #IPL2022 pic.twitter.com/wAt2LduwLy
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 30, 2022
Earlier, Buttler’s purple patch continued, as he scored 67 off 52 balls. About a month ago, at DY Patil Stadium, he had scored a 68-ball hundred in the Royals’ first-leg fixture against MI. Pitches were fresh then. Surfaces have become a tad jaded now. No wonder that Buttler’s innings today, at the same venue, against the same opponents was different. For a substantial period, he went at less than run-a-ball before hitting four consecutive sixes against Hrithik Shokeen. Ravichandran Ashwin scored an enterprising 21 runs off nine balls and unleashed all his variations while bowling. But it was MI’s night.
