What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
MUMBAI: Rajasthan Royals (193-8) defeated Mumbai Indians (170-8) by 23 runs in match 9 of the Indian Premier League 2022 to win their second consecutive match. They are now at the top of the Points Table. Here are the major highlights from the match –
Jos, The Boss: Rajasthan’s Jos Buttler cracked the first century of the IPL 2022 on Saturday as he scored 100 off 68 balls against Mumbai Indians. He looked in imperious touch right from the word go and blasted Mumbai bowlers with disdain.
He started off by flicking Jasprit Bumrah for four to the fine leg and in the next over pulled the left-arm pacer Daniel Sams for a six. In the fourth over of the innings, he thumped Basil Thampi for 26 runs which included three sixes – over long-on and mid-wicket – and two boundaries. He notched up his fifty (in 32 balls) through a late-cut to third man.
Buttler’s shot selection was amazingly felicitous as he played an inside-out shot against leg-spinner M Ashwin and then reverse swept him for a four. He exhibited a wide range of shots – from late cuts, reverse sweeps, pulls and drives – during his innings and reached his hundred in just 66 balls.
Overall, this is his 2nd IPL hundred.
Samson, Hetmyer cameos: Rajasthan captain Sanju Samson and Shimron Hetmyer continued their good run in the IPL 2022 as both of them lent creditable support to Buttler. Samson clouted Ashwin and Tymal Mills for sixes before holding out at mid-wicket.
Hetmyer unfurled a supersonic innings of 35 off just 14 balls. He reeled off an ingenious shot off Kieron Pollard as he pulled him for a six over fine-leg. He also clattered a couple of more sixes over his favourite area deep mid-wicket. He was undone by Bumrah’s low full-toss and was caught at mid-wicket in the 19th over.
Bumrah’s brilliance: While all the Mumbai bowlers were taken to cleaners, Bumrah stood out with figures of 4-0-17-3. In fact, in the 19th over, he nipped out Buttler and Hetmyer, both of whom were going all guns blazing, and halted Rajasthan’s rampage. In the 19th over, he conceded just 3 runs and restricted Rajasthan to 193-8 in 20 overs.
His searing yorker to clean up Buttler was the best ball of the match.
Tilak Varma – the rise of a new star: Every season of the IPL throws up some new stars. Lucknow’s Ayush Badoni has already grabbed the headlines in this season, and now Tilak Varma spellbound everyone on Saturday by his sparkling half-century. More than mere runs, what impressed everyone was the ease with which he batted and sangfroid he displayed under pressure. Also, his range of shots is also extensive.
He creamed Navdeep Saini for a couple of sixes over long-off – his favourite zone – but the shot which astonished one and all was the reverse sweep he uncorked against Ashwin to muster a six. However, the seasoned Ashwin won the battle by cleaning him up on the next ball. Varma tried to sweep a ball which pitched on the middle stump and spun sharply to rattle his off-stump.
Ashwin, Chahal smother Mumbai: At one point, Mumbai needed 82 off 8 overs with 8 wickets. Ishan Kishan, who scored 54 off 43 balls, and Varma were going great guns and the target of 194 looked achievable. However, Kishan was caught at deep mid square-leg by Saini off Boult in the 13th over as he tried to whack the ball out of the ground. He added 81 runs for the 3rd wicket with Varma, after Rohit Sharma and Anmolpreet Singh had fallen early.
After Kishan’s wicket, Ashwin clean bowled Varma, and in the next over Chahal claimed Tim David and Daniel Sams on consecutive balls. From 121-2, Mumbai slumped to 136-6. Mumbai needed 29 runs in the last over but Pollard failed to smash the balls as Saini bowled astutely.
