RR VS MI MATCH 38

Right then, Rajasthan make it 7 wins out of 8 and move on to 14 points and are just a win away from 16 points, a number that has ensured qualification for the playoff in every single season so far and they still have 6 more group games to play. Next up, is the return fixture of a clash we witnessed just a few days ago as Chennai now welcomes Lucknow at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in a bid to kickstart another run of home wins. That game will be played on Tuesday, 24 April at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT but you can join us a lot sooner for the build-up. Cheers!

Sandeep Sharma is the Player of the Match for his five-wicket haul, 5 for 18 to be specific, the best figures of the season so far. Sandeep says that it is going well and he got fit just a couple of days back. Adds that the pitch was on the slower and lower side and he kept on bowling the cutters and it came off. Mentions that if you are bowling at the death, you need to be brave and the bowlers are under the pump, so, you have to back yourself and execute your plans.

Sanju Samson, the captain of Rajasthan says that it was a great effort with the ball and the way everyone chipped in was phenomenal and credits the left-handers of Mumbai who went after the quality spinners in the middle overs. Adds that under lights batting gets a bit easier at this venue. Mentions that they did have to reset and go after the momentum after the break but everybody is professional and it wasn't too difficult. Talks about Yashasvi Jaiswal and says he is a player with a lot of confidence and it was a matter of just one game and is really happy for him.

The Presentation ceremony...

Earlier in the game, Hardik Pandya won the toss and had no hesitation in batting first. Mumbai had a few things going for them coming into this game and one of them was certainly their opening partnership but neither Rohit Sharma nor Ishan Kishan could do any damage and then Suryakumar Yadav also got out pretty early. Once Mohammad Nabi got out, they seemed in a lot of trouble but Tilak Varma and Nehal Wadhera pulled off a hesits as they added 99 runs and Tilak went on to score a fifty. Neither could stay on till the end and Mumbai only managed to score 9 runs in the final two overs. For Rajasthan, Sandeep Sharma returned from injury and made an instant impact with a couple of early wickets and even closed out the innings with 3 more wickets in the final over. The spinners weren't quite effective with Trent Boult bowling decently and Avesh Khan making amends at the death after an expensive start. All in all, Rajasthan hardly broke a sweat chasing down 180 runs and extend their lead at the top of the table.

The man of the moment, the centurion for Rajasthan, Yashasvi Jaiswal is down for a quick chat. Jaiswal says that he really enjoyed it from the start and ensured that he watched the ball well and played his shots. On being from Mumbai and scoring centuries against Mumbai, he says that he didn't have anything in mind and sometimes it comes off, sometimes it doesn't. Adds that the way the seniors in the team in these last eight matches have been great and they have backed him which has allowed him to be happy and enjoy his innings.

Hardik Pandya the captain of Mumbai says that after putting themself in trouble early on, Nehal Wadhera and Tilak Varma took them to that total which seemed like a good one but felt they were 15-20 runs short eventually. Adds that they gave away a bit too much in the Powerplay and it was a bad day in the field as well. Talks about how professional everybody is and how individually they will have to rectify and get better at their flaws and come back stronger. Concludes that he likes to back players and stick to the plans and will look to keep it all simple.

Mumbai continue their erratic season with another erratic performance and this is a team that seems to be lacking rhythm and can't string together multiple wins which is very crucial in order to qualify for the playoffs. They failed to take wickets in the Powerplay and neither could they keep the scoring rate down. Piyush Chawla was the pick of the bowlers and the only wicket-taker as well. Mumbai dropped multiple chances in the field which was uncharacteristic of them. Jasprit Bumrah as usual bowled well but he too got hit in his final two overs. Nuwan Thushara couldn't impress on debut either and the likes of Gerald Coetzee, Mohammad Nabi and Hardik Pandya couldn't make much of an impact.

Rajasthan might have felt they let Mumbai get a few too many runs after picking up 4 wickets early but those two final overs from Avesh Khan and especially Sandeep Sharma got the momentum back in their favor. The opening duo out of which only Jos Buttler had really fired so far was on a roll as Yashasvi Jaiswal seemed to be at his best. The pair scored 61 runs in the first 6 overs before rain interrupted play and soon enough after the break, Buttler fell with the score being 74. Jaiswal though continued to find the fence and skipper Sanju Samson supported him brilliantly as the pair went on to put on 109 unbeaten runs and sealed the deal for the home side. Jaiswal went on to score a stellar hundred making it three games in a row where a Rajasthan batter has scored a century.

Rajasthan solidify their position at the top of the points table with a commanding victory over Mumbai and make their final group stage game at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium a memorable one. Rajasthan have also done the double over Mumbai this season, preserving their home win record against Mumbai that stretches back to 2012 and still have just one loss from eight matches now.

FOUR! Convincing as it gets! Rajasthan beat Mumbai by 9 wickets and that winning shot comes off the bat of Yashasvi Jaiswal. Tilak Varma bowls this short and just outside off, Yashasvi Jaiswal rocks back and cuts it precisely behind point for four runs to seal the game.

Drags the length short and into the stumps, Sanju Samson nudges it to long on for a single.

Bowled on a fuller length just outside off, Sanju Samson punches it to wide of long off for a couple of runs.

HUNDRED for Yashasvi Jaiswal! He just shuts the critics with this incredible knock. Tilak Varma bowls this shorter and outside off, Yashasvi Jaiswal cuts it to deep point and gets the single.

Offers width outside off, on a fuller length, Yashasvi Jaiswal manages to reach out and slice it to long off for a single. Rajasthan now just need 5 more runs to win and Yashasvi Jaiswal is one short of his century.

Hits the length right, on off, Sanju Samson tucks it across the line towards long on for a single.

Bowls this nice and full, on off, Sanju Samson drives it straight to the fielder at cover.