CLASSY DISPLAY
Sandeep, Jaiswal shine in Rajasthan’s comfortable win against Mumbai
Jaipur, India - Sandeep Sharma announced his return from injury with magnificent figures of 5 for 18, the best by any bowler in this season's IPL, before Yashasvi Jaiswal blazed back to form with a sparkling 59-ball century, as Rajasthan Royals signed off from the Jaipur leg of their campaign with a seventh statement win in eight matches to cement their table-topping status.
Set a middling 180 for victory after a Mumbai Indians' innings that owed everything to a 99-run fifth-wicket stand between Tilak Varma and Nehal Wadhera, Royals' chase was signalled and sealed by Jaiswal, who had 31 from 18 balls prior to a 30-minute rain delay, before converting his first fifty of a difficult season into a towering 104 not out from 60 balls.
Jaiswal added 74 in eight overs with the in-form Jos Buttler, who made 35 from 25, and a further 109 in 65 with Sanju Samson, whose terrible reprieve on 19 by Tim David at midwicket was the moment all hope evaporated for Mumbai. By then, Jaiswal had also had a major let-off, on 50, when Wadhera at deep cover dropped a leading-edged swipe off Piyush Chawla over the ropes for six.
Mumbai's performance was summed up by the deployment of their two outstanding bowlers of the campaign. After being riled by a first-ball slap for six, Gerald Coetzee bowled like the wind in
his solitary powerplay over, troubling Jaiswal with his pace, in particular with a top-edged pull that flew over the keeper for four. Yet he was not given another over until Jaiswal was into the 80s,
when he again got a well-set batter flinching, but by then the match was already lost.
And though Jasprit Bumrah bowled with his peerless verve up front, including a two-run first over to limit Buttler's early intentions, he too was held back too late into the chase - and when he did return, his comeback over was not a success. A first-ball noball was followed by a secondball wide on height, where upon Jaiswal swung the rolled-over free hit for six, en route to a 16run over, Bumrah's most expensive of a stellar season.
At the Wankhede three weeks ago, Trent Boult silenced Mumbai's home support with the prized scalp of Rohit Sharma, who grazed his first ball of the match - and the fifth of the innings - through to Sanju Samson behind the stumps. It was a case of rinse-and-repeat in the rematch: Again from the fifth ball, albeit this time with 6 to his name. One filleted four through deep third, then a wild swing through the full length, for Samson to rush round from behind the stumps and gather.