It was Match No. 44 of Pepsi IPL 7 between Rajasthan Royals Vs. The defending champions, Mumbai Indians at Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad. Mumbai Indians have not played up to the mark this season while on the other hand, Rajasthan Royals played excellent cricket and won some games on the verge of getting defeated. In this game, Rajasthan Royals looked to cement their position in the playoffs while Mumbai Indians came out to play good cricket so that their fans get something to cheer for. And MI did manage to put up a brilliant show and they won the game by a margin of 25 runs. Let us now dig deep into the HITS and FLOPS of the match.
FLOPS Of The Match
Shane Watson (RR): The man who took a hat-trick for RR did not bowl today and made some unexpected changes in the squad. He did not manage to rotate his bowlers well initially. Even with the bat, he gave a disappointing performance. He came out to bat when his side needed him the most but scored only 5 runs off 6 deliveries and was dismissed by Pragyan Ojha.
Sanju Samson (RR): One of the most promising talent of India disappointed by his performance today. He came to bat when his side was struggling but he failed to lift up the team and was dismissed at a score of 2 runs off 5 balls.
James Faulkner (RR): The match winner for the Royals in some previous matches gave up a poor performance today. He disappointed with his bowling and struggled to fine his line and length. He gave away 17 runs in the last over of the innings and himself gave 47 runs in his 4 overs and went wicketless. In his batting, he did score 31 off 21 but his side had already lost the game by that time.
HITS Of The Match
Michael Hussey (MI): Mr. Cricket is back in scoring ways and played a great knock today. He was once again posted to the top of the order to open the innings for MI. He did a great job and played some exquisite strokes. He scored 56 runs off 39 deliveries with 3 fours and 2 sixes.
Lendl Simmons (MI): This man has brought some stability in the MI batting and today also he once again set the pillar for MI with a great century opening partnership with Michael Hussey. The partnership contributed 120 runs off 87 deliveries. Simmons played his part very well and complemented Hussey perfectly by rotating strikes when needed. He scored 62 runs off 51 deliveries with 6 fours and 2 sixes.
Harbhajan Singh(MI): The turbinator managed to bowl extremely well for yet another time. He spun the ball well and bowled with great line and length. He managed to take 2 wickets in his 4 overs, one of which was of Karun Nair’s one, and gave just 13 runs which was highly economical.
Karun Nair(RR): He was the sole warrior for the Royals today and played a fine innings but did not get slightest of the support on the other end. Wickets kept falling on the other end but he carried on with his aggression. He scored 48 runs off 24 deliveries with 4 fours and 3 sixes.