IPL 2024, RR beat MI to consolidate top spot: Stats
Rajasthan Royals hammered Mumbai Indians in Match 38 of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) in Jaipur. The Royals comfortably chased down 180, with Yashasvi Jaiswal slamming a ton. Sanju Samson also led from the front. Earlier, a historic fifer from Sandeep Sharma and Tilak Varma's 65 made headlines. RR, who beat MI for the second time this season, have consolidated their top spot.
A look at match summary
MI lost Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan (6/2) after electing to bat. Suryakumar Yadav and Mohammad Nabi too departed, reducing MI to 52/4. Although Tilak and Nehal Wadhera got MI past 150, the RR pacers restricted them to 179/9. In reply, RR openers Jaiswal and Jos Buttler gained impetus with a 74-run stand. A century-plus partnership between Jaiswal and Samson powered RR's win thereafter.
Boult scripts history with his opening spell
Trent Boult's opening spell put RR ahead in the match. He dismissed Rohit Sharma in the first over and removed Wadhera later on. After dismissing Rohit, Boult took his 26th wicket in the first over of an IPL innings, now the most by a bowler in this regard. He broke a tie with India's Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who owns 25 first-over scalps in the IPL.
250 T20 scalps for Boult
Boult finished with 2/32 from his four overs. As per ESPNcricinfo, Boult raced to 250 wickets in T20s from 216 matches at 25.79. He owns three four-wicket hauls. He became the 3rd New Zealand bowler to claim 250-plus wickets aftre Tim Southee and Ish Sodhi.
Sandeep records his maiden IPL fifer
While Boult dismissed Rohit early on, Sandeep got rid of Ishan in the next over. The right-arm seamer next barred Suryakumar from going all out. Sandeep then took three wickets in the final over, including that of Tilak, to record his maiden fifer in the IPL. Sandeep, who sprayed slower balls, conceded 18 runs in four overs.
Fourth player with IPL fifer for RR
Sandeep became only the fourth player to take a five-wicket haul for RR in the IPL. Sohail Tanvir, James Faulkner, and Yuzvendra Chahal are the only other bowlers with this feat. Notably, Sandeep now has the third-best bowling figures for RR in the IPL. He is only behind Tanvir (6/16 in 2008) and Faulkner (5/16 in 2013).
Fourth instance of Sandeep dismissing SKY
As mentioned, Sandeep dismissed Suryakumar as the dasher was caught by Rovman Powell. The right-hander was outfoxed in an attempt to clear the rope. Sandeep has now dismissed Suryakumar four times in eight IPL innings. The latter has 33 runs off 32 balls at just 8.25 against Sandeep. As per Cricbuzz, Suryakumar has fallen to Sandeep the most number of times in the IPL.
Chahal becomes first player with 200 IPL wickets
Star leg-spinner Chahal's only wicket came in the form of Nabi. He conceded 48 runs in four overs. However, with this scalp, Chahal became the first-ever bowler to complete 200 wickets in the IPL. The 33-year-old, who has raced to 13 scalps this season, now owns 61 wickets for RR. He is their joint second-highest wicket-taker with Shane Watson.
A rescuing 65 from Tilak
MI openers Rohit and Ishan were sent back to the pavilion early on for just six runs. Suryakumar too departed soon after (20/3). Tilak had a brief partnership with Nabi before taking MI past 150 along with Wadhera. While Wadhera departed for 49, Tilak's 45-ball 65 propelled MI to 179/9. He smashed 5 fours and 3 sixes.
Tilak becomes third-youngest to 1,000 IPL runs
During his knock, Tilak completed 1,000 runs in the IPL. He attained this feat in his 33rd match. As per Cricbuzz, at 21 years 166 days, the left-hander became the third-youngest player to 1,000 IPL runs. Tilak is only behind Rishabh Pant (20y 218d) and Jaiswal (21y 130d) on this list. He went past Prithvi Shaw's record (21y 169d).
Jaiswal slams match-winning ton
Jaiswal, who was searching his rhythm at the start, came out with a positive mindset. Although the left-hander stumbled while facing the rapid Kyle Coetzee, his approach got him through. Jaiswal first added 74 runs alongside Buttler and then finished a one-sided run-chase with Samson. He slammed a 60-ball 104*, a knock studded with 9 fours and 7 sixes.
Multiple IPL tons against MI
Jaiswal slammed his second century against MI in the IPL. He has become only the second player with multiple IPL tons against the five-time champions. Veteran batter KL Rahul remains the only other batter to have done this. Notably, Jaiswal's maiden IPL ton came last year, against MI. At 21 years and 123 days, he became RR's youngest centurion in the IPL.
Two IPL tons before turning 23
Jaiswal recorded his second century in the IPL, aged 22 years and 116 days. As per Cricbuzz, the dashing left-hander has become the first-ever player to score two centuries in the IPL before turning 23.
Samson attains these feats
RR skipper Samson joined forces with Jaiswal after a well-set Buttler (35) fell to Piyush Chawla. Samson played second fiddle, allowing Jaiswal to continue his onslaught. He smashed a 28-ball 38* (2 fours and 2 sixes). With this, Samson became the first batter with 3,500 runs for RR in the IPL. He also completed 6,500 runs in T20 cricket.
RR lead standings with 14 points
As mentioned, RR consolidated their top spot in the IPL 2024 standings. They now lead with 14 points and a Net Run Rate of +0.698. Meanwhile, MI, with six points, have slipped to seventh spot (NRR: -0.227).
