Indian Premier League (IPL): Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 104 not out propels Rajasthan Royals to nine-wicket win

Jaipur: Yashasvi Jaiswal hammered a 59-ball unbeaten century after Sandeep Sharma claimed a five-fer as Rajasthan Royals beat Mumbai Indians by nine wickets in a rain-affected Match 38 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Monday.

Jaiswal scored 104 not out from 60 balls as Rajasthan Royal reached 183/1 after Sandeep Sharma’s 5-18 had restricted the five-time IPL winner to 179/9 in 20 overs after they elected to bat first.

Chasing the target of 180, Jos Buttler, fresh from playing the best knock of his IPL career against Kolkata Knight Riders, was in the mood to punish Hardik Pandya. Pandya’s first over included a brace of length-ball outswingers and Butler hammered them to a brace of boundaries through covers. Pandya conceded 11 runs in his first over. Jasprit Bumrah, from the other side, offered a trickier challenge, and just a brace of singles ensued, including one for Buttler to a misfield in the covers.

It was a box-office first over from Gerald Coetzee to Yashasvi Jaiswal, who picked three boundaries but didn’t know much about the second. A length-ball first up earned Jaiswal the most languid of sixes down the ground. Coetzee then served a 150 kph sizzler that burst past the splice and almost took the keeper’s head off. Four balls later, and it was Jaiswal on the firing line as he pulled defensively and top-edged over the keeper, before signing off the over with a more measured punch through cover. It was a big over as Jaiswal collected 14 runs via boundaries and two of the extras. Debutant Nuwan Thushara, after a decent six runs debut over in the IPL was hammered for 17 runs in his second as Rajasthan ended the Power-play on 61 for no loss.

A 30-minute rain delay allowed Mumbai to regroup a bit, and with spin coming to the fore after the Power-play, veteran Piyush Chawla provided them the breakthrough. He nearly pegged back Jos Buttler’s off stump with his third ball, but - after Buttler had nailed one last four with a reverse sweep - got his man with his sixth delivery instead, as Buttler was beaten by the flipper, 94kph and tight to the stumps. The opening stand of 74 in 48 deliveries was broken as Buttler departed after scoring 35 off 25 balls.

After two double-centuries and more than 700 runs in the England Test series, Jaiswal reached the first half-century of IPL 2024. It was a perfectly brisk knock, coming off 31 balls. And perhaps luck was back in his favour too, because in the same Chawla over, he had a wild hack outside off, and picked up a leading-edge six over wide long-off, courtesy of a bad spill from Wadhera on the boundary’s edge. After the end of 10 overs, Rajasthan were 95 for 1 and needed 85 more in 60 deliveries.

Tim David dropped a simple chance at midwicket as Sanju Samson swung limply at a length ball from Hardik Pandya. It was the second terrible miss of the innings, and at 123 for 1 with seven overs to go, Rajasthan faced a comfortable task of scoring 57 from 42 balls.

Jasprit Bumrah returned with his third and 15th over, but it was his most expensive of the tournament to date. It started badly with a front-foot no-ball and got worse with a wide called-on height, then Jaiswal slammed the rolled-over free hit over midwicket for six. Bumrah went for 16 in the over. With 29 required in 30 deliveries, Rajasthan were on top as Coetzee, in his second over, went for 9 runs and then Bumrah, in his last, was hammered for 10 runs and ended his spell with figures of 37 for none.

Thushara bowled a decent 5-run 18th over as Jaiswal sealed the seventh victory for Rajasthan Royals with a boundary. Earlier Mumbai Indians scored  179-9 in 20 overs. Tilak Varma (65) scored half century and Nehal Wadhera contributed 49. Sandeep Sharma finished 5-49.

Brief score:

Mumbai Indians 179/9 in 20 overs (Tilak Varma 65, Nehal Wadhera 49; Sandeep Sharma 5-18, Trent Boult 2-32) lost to Rajasthan Royals 183/1 in 18.4 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 104 not out, Sanju Samson 38 not out; Piyush Chawla 33-1) by nine wickets. (IANS)

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