Jaipur pulls off 'surreal' victory
Rajasthan Royals only reinstated their status as ‘the team to beat’ in the DLF Indian Premier League (IPL) after scoring 43 runs from their last three overs to pull off a brilliant win against Mumbai Indians from the last ball of the match.
In Match 53 of the IPL, Rajasthan Royals beat Mumbai Indians by 5 wickets at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium at Jaipur in what was another really close competition of the tournament. The last time these two sides met, Mumbai emerged winners and the Sachin Tendulkar-led side ‘almost’ looked set to repeat that feat this time round as well.
Chasing the Mumbai Indians’ 145/7 for victory, Rajasthan opened their batting with Kamral Akmal (18) and Swapnil Asnodkar (17) as Graeme Smith was rested for this game. The openers were sent packing a few overs later and the Rajasthan middle order which comprised of Yusuf Pathan (2), Shane Watson (18) and Mohammad Kaif (12) subsequently followed suit putting Mumbai in the driver’s seat when the hosts reached 77/5 at the end of 12 overs.
Ravindra Jadeja and Niraj Patel then had the Herculean task of scoring 69 runs from 48 balls to secure victory for the Royals. Not an impossible task by any standards; but considering this: Ravindra Jadeja only comes in lower down the order after bulk of the scoring has already been done by the top order and Niraj Patel had only played 2 matches for 4 runs before this. The odds tilted wildly in favour of Mumbai.
Mumbai Indians, after being put into bat earlier in the day, could only manage 145/7. It was the same old story for Mumbai. The openers did half the job for them and then the rest of the batting just crumbled like a pack of cards showing no resistance whatsoever. Sanath Jayasuriya (38) and Sachin Tendulkar (30) put on a 71-run first wicket partnership. Abhishek Nayar made up for his lack of form in the previous game by scoring a commanding 25.
But Mumbai’s middle order looked clueless to the guile of Sohail Tanvir who picked up 4 wickets for 14 runs which makes him the current highest wicket-taker in the tournament.
It was only because of some lusty hitting towards the end by Yogesh Takawale (24 runs of 8 balls) which included 20 runs off the last over of the innings that Mumbai looked to reach a total around the 150-mark.
But to pull things back from there, reducing the Rajasthan batting line-up to 77/5 in the twelfth over put the reigns of the match back in the hands of Mumbai.
The good thing about Jadeja and Patel is that both Rajasthan batsmen played with cool, sensible heads. They knew that they had to save their wickets so they avoided going for the big shots. Instead, they worked the ball for ones and twos and kept rotating strike.
Mumbai always seemed in command of the situation and, with 43 runs required from 18 balls, were already seeing visions of their semi-final berth. The 18th over of the game was bowled by Ashish Nehra and conceding 11 runs in his final over, he took his position at the boundary a satisfied man.
Rohan Raje who had given away just 20 runs from his earlier three overs was then entrusted the ball by his captain Sachin Tendulkar for the penultimate over. His first ball was hit for the first six of the Rajasthan innings. But instead of getting demoralized, the youngster started firing in a series of full toss balls to the Rajasthan duo at the crease. Requiring more effort to heave a full toss for a six, both Jadeja and Patel kept manoeuvring the ball and running fervently. Thanks to a free hit in that over, they managed to squeeze 17 runs from it and then required 15 from the last over of the match.
Sri Lankan Dilhara Fernando had earlier bowled a spell of 3 overs for 12 runs before this and since Ashish Nehra, the other bowler who had an over pending could not do a similar job in their previous match, Tendulkar entrusted the ball to Fernando. A brilliant effort in the outfield by Nehra stopped a four but the Rajasthan duo managed to scamper back for a third run off the second ball. Needing 11 off 4 balls, Niraj Patel eased the tension in the dugout, which was as thick as cheese, by lofting a huge six.
Fernando followed Raje’s footsteps and bowled the next two balls full toss on off stump. Two singles followed.
3 required from 1 ball! An encore of the same ball would have probably seen Mumbai pull off a thriller then and there. But Fernando had written a last-minute script of his own. He added insult to injury by bowling a wide under pressure. 2 runs were now required from the last ball.
What happened in the last ball unfurled in a matter of seconds: Patel hits the ball to Fernando who should have stopped the ball and won the match for his side. But the bowler was slow to react. Dwayne Smith collected the ball at long-on and sent it towards the stumps where Jadeja was scampering back for the winning runs. Jayasuriya, who was backing the ball, failed to collect it cleanly. In a matter of seconds, the Sawai Mansingh Stadium at Jaipur was filled with the hue of ‘blues’. Unfortunately that ‘blue’ did not belong to the Mumbai Indians.
Sohail Tanvir ended up with the Player of the Match award for his brilliant 4-wicket haul.
But a few miles from Jaipur, celebrations began for another team as Mumbai’s loss now guaranteed a semi-final berth for Delhi Daredevils.
Tuesday’s game will be played between Hyderabad Deccan Chargers and Chennai Super Kings as both sides play their final game of the IPL. Mumbai Indians will be praying keenly that Hyderabad who is at the bottom of the IPL table can pull off a surprise win against the Chennai Super Kings.
If Chennai wins, then Mumbai will have to bid the IPL a remorseful farewell. However, if Hyderabad can pull off their third victory of the tournament, then Mumbai will have to buck up for its game against Bangalore Royal Challengers.
With the future of two teams at stake, the Chennai Super Kings take on the Hyderabad Deccan Chargers at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium at Hyderabad on May 27.