MI Thrash RR by 100 Runs, Go Top

Mumbai Indians’ (MI) top four batters brought out blazing fireworks to post 217/2 before the bowlers showed relentlessness in their approach to clinch their sixth consecutive win in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 and grab the top spot on the points table with a 100-run thrashing of Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here on Thursday.

After making a mammoth total, thanks to 61 and 53 by Ryan Rickleton and Rohit Sharma respectively, along with Suryakumar Yadav and captain Hardik Pandya making 48 not out each, MI turned on the heat in their bowling efforts to bowl out a listless RR for 117 in 16.1 overs and get a win in Jaipur for the first time since 2012.

The massive margin of victory has meant that MI’s net run rate stands at 1.274, which is also the best among all sides.

On the other hand, the crushing defeat means RR, who lost half of their side on 47, are now the second team to be eliminated from IPL 2025 after Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Rickleton and Rohit, apart from hitting fifties and showcasing great timing in their shots, shared a stellar 116-run opening stand, making it the first century stand MI got from their openers this season.

Though they departed in successive overs, an inventive Suryakumar and solid Pandya added 94 runs in just 44 deliveries in their unbroken third-wicket stand to end up at exactly 48 not out off 23 balls each, as MI got 71 runs in the last five overs.

With a longer boundary and lateral swing around due to strong winds, RR were able to keep things tight in the first three overs.

MI had a scare when Rohit was adjudged lbw by an inswing and slower delivery from Fazalhaq Farooqi and decided to take the review before the timer clocked 15 seconds. 

Fortunately, Rohit survived as replays showed the ball pitched outside the leg stump.

But after that, MI began to tee off –Rickleton flicked and pulled Farooqi for four and six before he and Rohit carted Archer for two fours and a six. With Maheesh Theekshana struggling to nail his lengths, Rohit lofted and sliced him for consecutive fours, before Rickelton dispatched him for another boundary, as MI got 42 runs off the last three powerplay overs.

Despite Kumar Kartikeya Singh and Akash Madhwal’s introduction, there was no stopping Rickleton hit three quick boundaries off them, while Rohit dispatched the former for successive fours and even reached the landmark of 6000 runs for MI in IPL.

Rickelton then muscled a pull off Kartikeya to bring up a 29-ball fifty, before Rohit brought up his half-century off 31 balls by slicing Theekshana over point.

After that, RR made a mini-comeback – Rickleton castled by a straight delivery from Theekshana, while Rohit reached out to a wide ball off Riyan Parag and holed out to long-off. Suryakumar hit the ground running by hitting three boundaries in his first six balls, with the uppercut and late slice being the standout shots, before sweeping Theekshana for six.

Suryakumar continued his solid show by swatting Archer for six, before a solid Pandya, who had hit two boundaries by then, lofted Farooqi for four and six respectively, before taking consecutive fours off him, as 21 runs came off the 18th over.

Suryakumar brought up MI’s 200 by lapping Archer for four before he and Pandya took a boundary each off Madhwal in the final over as both batters finished on a similar score off the same number of balls. In defence of the mammoth total, MI were on the money from the word go.

Deepak Chahar had young Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who hit a whirlwind 35-ball century in the last game, mistime to mid-on for a two-ball duck.

Yashasvi Jaiswal smacked Trent Boult for two sixes, but the pacer bounced back by castling Jaiswal in the same over.

Nitish Rana was next to fall, pulling one to the deep square leg off Boult, while Riyan Parag’s relentless test by short balls resulted in him giving a top-edge to mid-wicket off Jasprit Bumrah.

The short ball from Bumrah took Shimron Hetmyer out on the very next ball, as mid-wicket held on to a sharp catch.

After RR ended their power-play at 62/5, Shubham Dubey tried delaying the inevitable with a nine-ball 15, laced with three boundaries.

But there was no stopping RR’s slide as Dubey holed out to long-on off Hardik Pandya, while Dhruv Jurel’s attempt to paddle sweep off Karn Sharma took the glove edge, and the leg-spinner ran forward to take the catch off his bowling.

Karn, introduced as the impact player, then had a double strike against his name in the 12th over, before Boult finished it off by having Jofra Archer caught at short fine leg and ending his cameo on 30, as five-time IPL champions MI secured a statement win.

Brief scores: Mumbai Indians 217/2 in 20 overs (Ryan Rickleton 61, Rohit Sharma 53, Suryakumar Yadav 48 not out, Hardik Pandya 48 not out; Riyan Parag 1-12, Maheesh Theekshana 1-47) beat Rajasthan Royals 117 in 16.1 overs (Jofra Archer 30, Riyan Parag 16; Karn Sharma 3-23, Trent Boult 3-28) by 100 runs 

—IANS

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