Gowtham sizzles to hand another loss for Mumbai
jaipur — Rajasthan Royals clinched a thriller at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium to beat Mumbai Indians by three wickets with two deliveries still to be bowled in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match here on Sunday.
Krishnappa Gowtham was the hero for Rajasthan Royals as he played a match-winning innings un- der pressure. When all hopes were lost, he snatched the game from Mumbai Indians with a 11-ball 33 and finished the game in style with a massive six off Hardik Pandya. This after the Mumbai Indians had clinched three quick wickets to change the face of the game in their favour. But it was not the day for Rohit Sharma and co, but rather for the Ajinkya Rahane-led team.
Earlier, Mumbai Indians rode on half-centuries from Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan to post a challenging total of 167/7.
Coming together after the early departure of Mumbai opener Evin Lewis, Yadav and Kishan put on an excellent batting display to add 129 runs between them off 82 deliveries. Yadav scored a whirlwind knock of 72 runs, smashing six boundaries and three hits into the stands during his 47-ball stay in the middle. Kishan posted a steady 58 off 42 balls which included four boundaries and three sixes.
For Rajasthan, young West Indies pacer Jofra Archer was the most successful bowler with figures of 3/22. Fellow pacer Dhawal Kulkarni returned 2/32 while Jaidev Unadkat also got a wicket.
Kulkarni struck the first blow for the hosts in the very first over when Lewis dragged an inside edge on to his stumps.
But that was the only bit of success Rajasthan managed as Yadav and Kishan took their bowlers to the cleaners. However, while Yadav and Kishan laid the foundation for a big total in the vicinity of 200 runs, the rest of the Mumbai batting line-up failed to provide the big final push. The Rajasthan bowlers did well to stage a strong comeback by picking up quick wickets in the late overs.
Kulkarni finally brought the partnership to an end when Kishan botched up a cheeky reverse scoop from outside the off-stump, only to hand an easy skier to Rajasthan wicket-keeper Jos Buttler.
Kishan’s dismissal seemed to break Mumbai’s momentum as Rajasthan staged a strong comeback with two quick wickets in a span of three balls.
Yadav departed soon after when Unadkat outfoxed him with a slower ball. The Mumbai opener went for a big shot but was fooled by the lack of pace and the ball went flying high into the night sky before Buttler pulled off another easy catch. — Agencies