Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians continues to stay in IPL 2021 playoffs contention. Here are the live updates as they collide in this virtual playoffs knockout match in Sharjah on Tuesday.
And, it's over, as MI wins by eight wickets in the blink of an eye, with Kishan hitting his eight IPL half-century. MI's NRR is to have sky-rocketed, as it rises to the fifth spot. Read full match report here....
MI 94/2 (8.2). Batting: Kishan 50 (25), Pandya 5 (6).
A couple of wickets have fallen for MI, as Rohit and Yadav have departed to Sakariya and Rahman, respectively. But, it's just a matter of time before MI seals this. 35 needed off 84.
OUT! Rohit c Jaiswal b Sakariya 22(13), Yadav c (sub) Lomror b Rahman 13 (8). MI 56/2 (6). Batting: Kishan 20 (13), Pandya 0 (2).
Rapid start by the MI openers, as Rohit and Kishan look to finish it off in a jiffy. It has a net run rate to improve as well. While Kishan has scored his 1,00th IPL run for MI, Rohit has hit his 400th T20 six.
MI 23/0 (3). Batting: Rohit 21 (10), Kishan 1 (7).
RR has managed 90/9, which is the lowest IPL total batting first in Sharjah. Should be an easy chase for MI, unless RR produces some magic with the ball.
OUT! Sakariya b Coulter-Nile 6 (11). RR 90/9 (20). Batting: Kuldip 0 (4), Rahman 8 (7).
Wickets just keep tumbling for RR, as Gopal and Miller have departed for cheap as well. Can RR magically finish at 100 from here?
OUT! Gopal c Kishan b Bumrah 0 (1), Miller lbw b Coulter-Nile 15 (23). RR 78/7 (18). Batting: Sakariya 2 (7), Kuldip 0 (3).
And, we have the sixth wicket down for RR, with Tewatia departing for 12 to Neesham. 100 still looks dicey.
OUT! Tewatia c Kishan b Neesham 12 (20). RR 71/6 (15). Batting: Miller 11 (5).
Phillips is the latest man to depart for just four to pacer Coulter-Nile. MI is in total control of this game. Can RR score even 100?
OUT! Phillips b Coulter-Nile 4(13). RR 57/5 (12). Batting: Miller 5 (8), Tewatia 3 (9).
RR has lost a couple of more wickets, as it appears to be in shambles now. With Miller and Phillips on strike, how far can RR eye from here?
OUT! Samson c Jayant b Neesham 3 (6), Dube b Neesham 3 (8). RR 49/4 (9). Batting: Phillips 4 (11), Miller 1 (1).
A couple of wickets are down, as the openers Jaiswal and Lewis are gone. MI has bounced back in style to finish the Powerplay on top.
OUT! Jaiswal c Ishan Kishan b Coulter-Nile 12 (9), Lewis lbw b Bumrah 24 (19). RR 41/2 (6). Batting: Samson 3 (5), Dube 0 (3).
Steady start by the RR openers, as Lewis and Jaiswal have displayed good intent in the opening three overs. But, the MI pacers are looking to strike early.
RR 26/0 (3). Batting: Lewis 13 (11), Jaiswal 12 (7).
Toss: MI opts to bowl.
Rohit Sharma: We are going to bowl first. We have tried everything in this UAE leg. The wicket doesn't change too much. So, we thought of having a target in front of us when we bat. We know where we stand at the moment. Every individual knows what to do. It's about coming here and executing. We need to read situations, not to worry about the table. If we play well, the results will take care of themselves. Two changes: Ishan comes back for de Kock and Neesham from Krunal. We looked at how the game is being played here. The pacers have done well with the slower balls.
Sanju Samson: We face different challenges in each game. We have a decent combination that can suit this wicket. Looking forward to an exciting game. We have to keep it simple. We will have to trust ourselves. We have made two changes. Shreyas Gopal comes in for Mayank Markande, and Kuldip Yadav comes in for Akash Singh.
Playing XI
RR: Evin Lewis, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Shivam Dube, Glenn Phillips, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Shreyas Gopal, Kuldip Yadav, Mustafizur Rahman and Chetan Sakariya.
MI: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Saurabh Tiwary, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, James Neesham, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jayant Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult.
Former champion Rajasthan Royals (RR) and defending champion Mumbai Indians (MI) would battle it out in a virtual eliminator for the fourth spot when they collide in Match 51 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Tuesday. The race for the playoffs has intensified, with the fourth spot still up for grab.
RR and MI have the exact numbers, winning five from 12 matches and holding ten points each. Nevertheless, RR is situated sixth, a place above MI, due to its better net run rate. It is a virtual eliminator for both, as a loss for any side will almost end the race for it.
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LIVE SCORECARD: IPL 2021 - RR vs MI
The two sides have met each other on 26 instances, as MI hardly possesses a 13-12, while in 24 IPL encounters, MI traverses by 12-11. Of the two United Arab Emirates (UAE) clashes, both have won once each, while it will be their first-ever meeting on this ground.
The Sharjah weather is noticeably cloudy and moderately balmy, with an expected temperature of around 36 degrees and 55% humidity. The pitch will be slow anew while the side that wins the toss would prefer chasing, considering some dew factor, later in the evening. Read full match preview here....
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Probable XI
RR: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Evin Lewis, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Shivam Dube, Glenn Phillips, Rahul Tewatia, David Miller, Anureet Singh, Chetan Sakariya, Mustafizur Rahman, Mayank Markande.
MI: Rohit Sharma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Saurabh Tiwary, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jayant Yadav, Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah.
