Jaipur, April 20: Steve Smith announced his return to form in style and led from the front as Rajastha Royals registered a convincing five-wicket win over Mumbai Indians in their return-leg IPL encounter at Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Saturday (April 20).
In response to Mumbai's 161/5, Royals reached home with 5 wickets and as many balls to spare and always looked at ease in the run chase.
Leading from the front Smith, who was appointed the Royals' captain before this game, scored an unbeaten 59 off 48 deliveries as the Men In Pink remained unbeaten against Rohit Sharma and Co in the league stage of the tournament. They had defeated Mumbai in the latter's backyard as well.
Before the start of the match, the franchise stunned all by their bold move to replace Ajinkya Rahane with Smith as the captain of the side for the remainder of the season.
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After winning the toss, Smith opted to bowl first and his bowlers, especially Jofra Archer and Shreyas Gopal ensured the visitors couldn't post a challenging total on a track that favoured batsmen. Gopal drew the first blood for his team when he removed the visiting captain Rohit Sharma (5) in his very first over. The leg-spinner then got the better of set Quinton de Kock (65) in the 15th over and prevented the southpaw to punish them in the death overs.
Jofra Archer (4-0-22-1) bowled exceptionally well in the middle and death overs and prevented the likes of Hardik Pandya (23) and Kieron Pollard (10) to do much damage. Suryakumar Yadav (35) forged a good partnership with De Kock for the second wicket but he was also dismissed by Stuart Binny at a critical juncture.
Jaydev Unadkat and Dhawal Kulkarni were tad expensive but Archer and Gopal's tight bowling prevented the visitors from posting a big total.
Smith appointed new RR captain
In the run chase, the opening pair of Ajinkya Rahane (12) and Sanju Samson (35 off 19) gave the hosts a flying start and they never looked back in the run chase. After Rahane's early departure, Samson and Smith forged a crucial partnership and never let the pressure of scoreboard trouble them.
After Samson and Ben Stokes (0) were sent back by Rahul Chahar (3/29) in a single over, it seemed the hosts might make a Royal mess in the chase but teenager Riyan Parag (45) played brilliantly and steered his team through. The 17-year-old stitched a crucial 50-plus partnership with his skipper and played some exquisite shots in his stay into the middle before getting run out.
Parag's sensible knock kept the pressure off Smith's head and the skipper anchored his innings well. Smith remained unbeaten till the end and took his team home.
Here's how the match between RR and MI panned out:
Steve Smith, Winning captain and Man of the Match: I haven't contributed as much as I would've liked through the tournament and it feels really nice to have gotten the boys over the line. Hopefully we can carry it forward from here. We can't worry about others' results, it's just about us and our game. We showed a lot of courrage to pull them back to 160 and executed our plans really well. It's never good when you don't take your catches, but Jofra pulled it back really well for us with the ball and was terrific. Parag was really impressive; I have been watching him in the nets and with the bat looks like a seasoned campaigner. He's a great kid and has a great future, I hope I was as confident when I was 17. When you are young and come into a team you have a care free attitude and kept playing his shots. We just need to stay focussed on the processes, we just need to turn up and win. Every game's a final, and we have to win each one. Let's hope it turns out well for us.
Rajasthan Royals now become only the second team to beat Mumbai Indians in four consecutive matches in IPL after Chennai Super Kings (2014-15).
It's all over! Rajasthan Royals have defeated Mumbai Indians by 5 wickets. Steve Smith leads his team home with an unbeaten fifty.
5 runs and a wicket came from the penultimate over bowled by Bumrah. RR - 158/5 in 19 overs. They need 4 more from 6 balls.
Wicket! Turner departs for a duck as he's been trapped plumb in front by Bumrah. This is the second time in a row that he's been dismissed for a golden duck on consecutive matches. RR - 153/5 in 18.1 overs
8 runs came from that over bowled by Hardik Pandya. RR - 153/4 in 18 overs. 9 needed from 12 balls. Smith and Turner are present in the middle.
Run Out! Riyan Parag's brilliant innings (43 off 29) comes to an end as he's been run out while taking a double. Ben Cutting's throw was collected brilliantly by Hardik and boom. #RR - 147/4 in 17.4 overs.
Fifty!! Captain's knock! Steve Smith gets to his half-century off 40 deliveries. He's anchored the run chase well for his team.
And the news for Australia's opponents at the World Cup is that Steven Smith is starting to look his old self again....
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) April 20, 2019
Four! Steve Smith gets a boundary off Bumrah. Good start from the skipper.
9 runs came from that over bowled by Malinga. RR - 137/3 after 16 overs, 25 needed from 24 balls. Hosts are cruising at the moment.
Very impressed with young Riyan Parag. Something about him. #RR have been really positive today and negated spin by taking 48 from 4 overs off K Pandya and Markande
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) April 20, 2019
Four! Parag hits Malinga towards off-side for a boundary. Superb shot from the 17-year-old.
A 50-run partnership between Smith and Parag off just 41 deliveries. RR - 128/3 after 15 overs. 34 needed from 30 balls now. MI desperately need a wicket.
SIX!! Riyan Parag is shifting gears now, he clears Chahar over mid-wicket for a maximum. He's taken the pressure off Steve Smith's shoulders.
Four, Four! Back-to-back boundaries from Parag off Hardik Pandya. 10 runs came from that over. RR - 118/3 after 14 overs.
Jasprit Bumrah continues to be at his economical best as he concedes just 5 from it. RR 108/3 after 13 overs. 54 needed from 42 balls.
Four came from Hardik Pandya's over. RR - 103/3 after 12 overs. 59 needed from 48 balls.
9 runs conceded by Krunal Pandya. Smith and Parag are batting well, punishing the loose deliveries and taking quick singles and doubles to put pressure on the fielding side. RR 99/3 after 11 overs.
Four! Riyan Parag slog sweeps Krunal Pandya and gets a boundary. The teenager is playing well at the moment.
4 runs came from that over bowled by Rahul Chahar. He's stopped RR surge in the run chase and put a brake on the flow of runs. RR - 90/3 after 10. They need 72 from 60 balls.
0,0,4,1,0,4! Smith and Riyan Parag got a boundary each in that over bowled by Markande and Rajasthan Royals reach 86/3 after 9 overs.
Bowled!! Rahul Chahar is on fire as he gets two wickets in this over. He cleans up Ben Stokes for a duck. RR 77/3 after 8 overs.
Wicket! Sanju Samson's innings of 19-ball 35 comes to an end. He tried to hit Rahul Chahar for a maximum but failed to connect it well. Pollard took a simple catch in the deep. #RR - 76/2 after 7.2 overs.
15 runs came from that over bowled by Markande and RR - 75/1.
SIX!! Steve Smith goes down the track and hits Markande over mid-wicket for a maximum. It seems captaincy is suiting Steve Smith.
12 runs came from that over bowled by Malinga. RR - 60/1 after 6 overs, they need 102 more from 84 balls at 7.28 runs per over.
Four! Steve Smith gets a boundary towards third man region off Malinga and brings up fifty for his team.
Jasprit Bumrah concedes just four from his first over. RR - 48/1 after 5 overs. They need 114 more from 90 deliveries.
Wicket! Ajinkya Rahane (12) mistimes Rahul Chahar and Suryakumar Yadav takes a fine catch to end his innings. RR - 39/1 (3.4 overs)
Chahar only bowls 15% of his overs in the Powerplay phase but he has a strike rate of 15 when he does bowl there. Introducing him early was an unusual move from Rohit but it worked immediately and brought the wicket. #IPL #RRvMI @rajasthanroyals
— The CricViz Analyst (@cricvizanalyst) April 20, 2019
Four, Four! Rahane too joins the party as he hits Rahul Chahar for two boundaries.
#RajasthanRoyals off to a flier. The best bowler in the opposition, Bumrah, hasn't bowled an over yet.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) April 20, 2019
7 runs came from that over bowled by Lasith Malinga and RR reach 31/0 after 3 overs as they chase 162. Samson - 22* (10) Rahane - 4* (8)