| TEAM | PLD | W | L | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 MI |
14 | 7 | 7 | 0 |
 CSK |
14 | 9 | 5 | 0 |
 RCB |
14 | 9 | 5 | 0 |
 DC |
14 | 10 | 4 | 0 |
 PK |
14 | 6 | 8 | 0 |
| Player | Innings | Runs |
|---|---|---|
| Virat Kohli | 191 | 6076 |
| Shikhar Dhawan | 183 | 5577 |
| Suresh Raina | 195 | 5491 |
| Rohit Sharma | 202 | 5480 |
| David Warner | 148 | 5447 |
Rajasthan Royals set foot on the pitch confident after their recent win over Chennai Super Kings. However, it took Mumbai Indians a few overs to lower their expectations. Rajasthan opening players Yashawi Jaiswal and Evin Lewis started with flyers. However, this could not hold water in the fourth over when Jaiswal edged one back to Ishan Kishan with the assistance of Nathan Coulter-Nile.
Lewis seemed to be off his element by misjudging the length to be pinned. Nevertheless, Rajasthan Royals bagged 41 runs in hopes that the field would be lifted. This seemed to be their last shot to end the game with a confidence boost. Neither of the batsmen could score runs, including the capable Sanju Samson. At the end of the 20th over, a bruised Rajasthan Royals could only record 90/9 on the scoreboard.
To reach a higher net run rate, Mumbai’s batsmen batted vigorously from start to end. Rohit got a 22 off 13 balls before his dismissal, and Suryakumar Yadav was out with a 13 off eight balls. Kishan, seemingly in dire need of runs, maintained his focus and played unbeaten for his half-century from 25 balls. MI had to chase down a target of 120 instead of 160 with only 70 balls left, which significantly advanced their net run rate.
Rajasthan Royals batters could only score 26 runs and lost track once the power plays ended in their first three overs. The low run score was due to the length, accuracy and pace variations by Mumbai bowlers, which was challenging to Rajasthan batters. In their full 20 overs, the Royals batters only played 66 dot balls. On the other hand, Mumbai Indians’ bowled 66 dot balls, and 47 were shared among Bumrah, Neesham, and Counter-Nile. Bumrah impressed his side with his 18 dot balls, his IPL best, and the highest for a Mumbai bowler over the years.
The Sharjah Cricket Stadium is known for being tricky, and Rajasthan Royals batters seemed to be on the receiving end when they lost four wickets in the middle overs with a total score of 30 runs. Rajasthan Royals recently chased down a target of 190, the team’s highest achievement in the IPL, UAE leg. However, their inconsistency earned them a 90/9, which resulted from their slow pace. This score is the second-lowest posted total by a team after completing 20 overs of batting. As the Royals struggled to get tangible scores, Rohit Sharma hit his 400th six in T20 matches.
Neesham substituted Krunal Pandya, a move that held the glorious moments for Mumbai Indians. He bowled wicket-to-wicket without breaking off his pace in the pitch. He displayed his mastery without experimenting at any given point. Evin Lewis, with 24 runs off 19 balls, was off to a good run until Yashasvi Jaiswal failed to keep up after he missed taking on the bounce from Court-Nile’s delivery to be caught behind. Once Bumrah eliminated Lewis, the rest of Mumbai Royals batsmen fell one by one.
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