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The Times of India

Sport

Gaurav Gupta | TNN

IPL 2024: Mumbai Indians lose to Rajasthan Royals to suffer hat-trick of defeats

Trent Boult Mumbai Indians Rajasthan Royals Riyan Parag MI (Organization) Rajasthan (Organization) Royals Hardik Pandya Mumbai Gerald Coetzee

MUMBAI: Smashing Gerald Coetzee for back-to-back sixes over cover and then to mid-wicket, before sealing the chase with a top-edged four, Riyan Parag, following up on his scores of 43, 84 not out, finished with a sizzling 54 not out off 39 balls.

Playing some regal shots while hitting five fours and three sixes, Parag made the difference in a low-scoring game, guiding the Rajasthan Royals to an emphatic six-wicket win over the Mumbai Indians on Monday night at the Wankhede Stadium.

Meanwhile, in a season which is turning out to be miserable for them with every match, MI-with three straight defeats-are languishing at the bottom with their net run rate a shoddy -1.423. In stark contrast, the Royals, having won all their three games so far, are now topping the table.

Thriving on a spicy pitch, RR's left-arm pacers Trent Boult (3-22 in four overs) and Nandre Burger (2-32 in four overs) left MI limping at 20 for four in the fourth over, before Yuzvendra Chahal (3-11 in four overs) snuffed the life out of the latter half of the hosts' innings, which was restricted to 125 for nine.

A fine spell by speedster Akash Madhwal (3-20 in four overs) threatened to derail RR's innings, but Parag ensured that the visitors reached home safely, adding 40 off 35 balls for the fourth wicket with R Ashwin (16) and unbeaten stand of 39 in just 19 balls for the fifth wicket with Shubham Dubey (8 not out). RR had lost Yashasvi Jaiswal (10), Jos Buttler (13) and Sanju Samson (12) with 48 on the board.

Earlier, complimenting the brilliant effort of their bowlers, RR fielded superbly, taking as many as eight catches. MI's plight would've been worse but for a 56-run fifth wicket partnership in 36 balls between skip per Hardik Pandya (34, 21b, 6x4) and Tilak Varma (32, 29b, 2x6).

Things began on a wrong note for MI right at the toss, when Pandya was booed, forcing commentator Sanjay Manjrekar to ask the crowd to behave." Put into bat on a juicy pitch, the hosts were blown away right at the start by a fiery spell by Boult, whose triple strike in his first two overs revived memories of a similarly destructive spell that triggered India's defeat in the 2019 World Cup semifinal at Old Trafford, Manchester.

With the fifth and sixth ball of his first over, Boult scalped MI's former captain Rohit Sharma (caught brilliantly by RR captain Sanju Samson diving to his right) and Naman Dhir, who fell lbw while playing down the wrong line to an inswinging ball he had no clue about, for 'golden ducks.' Boult now has taken 25 wickets in his first over in the IPL-the maximum along with Sunrisers' pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Rattled by the early blows, MI, in a poor decision caused more by panic perhaps, sent Dewald Brevis as an 'Impact Player' No 4, but the South African became the third MI batter on the night to be out for a first-ball duck, leaving his team tottering at 14 for three in the third over. Brevis played a poor stroke, throwing his bat at an outgoing Boult delivery to be caught at short third man.

The tall Burger then joined in the fun, having Ishan Kishan (16 off 14 balls) caught behind At that point, MI looked to be in danger of being shot out for an embarrassing total, before Pandya and Varma saved them the blushes.

However, that was when Chahal began to weave his magic, taking the key wickets of Pandya, Varma and Coetzee (4). Playing in his 200th IPL match, Ashwin dived to his left to take a terrific catch to dismiss Varma off Chahal.