IPL 2021, Mumbai Indians thrash Rajasthan Royals: Records broken
Mumbai Indians have earned a one-sided win against Rajasthan Royals in the 51st match of IPL 2021. The defending champions chased the 91-run target with ease. Nathan Coulter-Nile shone for them with the ball, having taken four wickets. Ishan Kishan (50*), who replaced Quinton de Kock in the match, helped MI chase the total. Mumbai would now want to win their final game.
RR made a terrific start, with Evin Lewis and Yashasvi Jaiswal firing for them again. The Royals, who were 41/1 in 5.2 overs, slumped to 50/5 in no time. Coulter-Nile, Jasprit Bumrah, and James Neesham mowed down their middle order. RR could manage just 90/9 in 20 overs. MI were unperturbed in the run-chase as they won by eight wickets.
The RR batters succumbed to MI pacers once the powerplay ended. They failed to rotate the strike and find boundaries. RR eventually mustered the lowest total of the IPL 2021 (90/9). The previous lowest score was made by RCB (92 vs KKR, Abu Dhabi). Notably, only four batters from RR scored in double figures in the match.
The Royals registered the second-lowest total by a team in the IPL, which batted 20 overs. Kolkata Knight Riders recorded the lowest such total, in the previous IPL edition (84/8 vs RCB in Abu Dhabi).
Rohit came out all guns blazing in the run-chase. However, he fell on 22 after playing a reckless stroke off Chetan Sakariya. Nonetheless, Rohit completed 400 sixes in T20 cricket. He became the first Indian do so. Rohit is overall the seventh player after Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Brendon McCullum, Shane Watson, and AB de Villiers to smash 400 T20 maximums.
Ishan Kishan was watchful at the start. He played second fiddle, with skipper Rohit emerging as the aggressor. However, the former broke the shackles after Rohit departed. The left-handed batter remained unbeaten in the run-chase. In the process, he completed 1,000 runs for Mumbai Indians in the IPL. Kishan became the 10th MI batter to have achieved this feat.
