JAIPUR: Allrounder
Krishnappa Gowtham produced some sensational hitting (33 not out, 11 balls, 4x4, 2x6) to take
Rajasthan Royals to a thrilling three-wicket win over
Mumbai Indians at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here on Sunday.
IPL Points Table In a see-saw battle, Rajasthan required 28 from the last two overs after a collapse in the middle overs which saw them slip from a comfortable 123/3 to 125/6 in the 17th over while chasing 168.
A brilliant debut by
Jofra Archer with match figures of 3 for 22 where he bowled yorkers at will was one of the highlights of the match.
ALSO READ: RR vs MI - As it happenedMumbai looked like having won it when Jasprit Bumrah struck twice in the 17th over while giving away only one run. The batsmen he dismissed were Sanju Samson (52 from 39 balls) and Jos Buttler (6).
Chasing a modest target, Rajasthan did not have a brisk start but Samson and Ben Stokes kept them in the hunt before Gowtham finished the job in great style.
Earlier, Mumbai opener Evin Lewis got out on the fourth ball of the match, bowled by Dhawal Kulkarni which brought Ishan Kishan to join Suryakumar Yadav.
Both men initially played the waiting game on a good SMS pitch as the Royals bowlers kept them on a tight leash. The fifth over saw both batsmen hitting a six each and Kishan also getting a four off Kulkarni. Mumbai were 43 for 1 at the end of the Powerplay.
Ultimately, the duo shared a partnership of 129 runs off 82 for the second wicket with Yadav scoring 72 from 47 balls with the help of six fours and three hits over the boundary with Kishan also hitting three sixes along with four boundaries in his 58 off 42.
Off the second ball of the 15th over, Kishan tried to play the sweep to Kulkarni only to edge it to wicketkeeper Buttler. The scorecard read 130 for 2 in 14.2 overs. At that point, Rohit went for the kill, sending Kieron Pollard at four but all he could manage was an unbeaten 21 from 20 deliveries.
The Royals bowlers were initially successful in keeping the Mumbai batsmen silent, not allowing them to open their arms. Kishan hit Kulkarni for a monstrous six before Yadav sent one soaring off his legs in the fifth over. Kulkarni was meted out this treatment after he had sent back Caribbean batsman Lewis (0) in the fourth ball of the innings. Still, the visitors did not have much runs on the board after Powerplay over with scorecard reading 43 for one.