Defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) are off to a fertile start in the 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL). So far, in six matches, they have won four of them, as they convincingly beat former champions Rajasthan Royals (RR) by 57 runs in Match 20 on Tuesday, in Abu Dhabi.
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For MI, it was Suryakumar Yadav, who played an enthraling knock of an unbeaten 79, as MI finished on a challenging total of 1934. Meanwhile, the MI's bowlers, too, did a fine job at restricting RR's batsmen, as the former rode to a comfortable win.
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Following the win, MI skipper Rohit was all praise for Suryakumar, besides stating that the innings was long due. "It was coming. I spoke to him today before the match. He was batting really well all these games. It was all about shotmaking - today his shotmaking was perfect. All the innovative shots at the end came in handy," he quoted post match.
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Also, becoming the first team to score above 190 in five consecutive matches, Rohit applauded the quality that his side possessed. "We strive to play with power. We've got quality in this squad. We've given confidence to each one of them because we know they're very talented," he said.
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The MI pacer were in a glowing form, as Jasprit Bumrah (420), along with James Pattinson and Trent Boult's two-for, helped MI dominate. "The conditions are quite helpful [for our fast bowlers]. We were not sure how the pitches were going to be, whether it'd be helpful for our pace battery. But, it was nipping around, and it's good to have guys who can exploit those conditions," Rohit concluded.
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Meanwhile, RR skipper Steve Smith believed that their batsmen need to show more responsibility, besides clearing the air on Ben Stokes' availability. "I think losing wickets early doesn't help. We haven't been able to get a good start in the last three games. Outside of Jos [Buttler] and Jofra [Archer] at the end, we've got work to do," he said.
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"I don't think we need to panic too much. It's just about implementing our plans and playing good cricket for longer. Hasn't been a good last three games. Need to turn it around and get some momentum," he continued.
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"Stokes is not out till the [October] 10th. He's not too far away. Hopefully, we can get a few wins and get some momentum before he comes in," he concluded.
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