MI got comprehensively beaten in all 3 departments against RR in a rain-marred clash. RR won the match by 27 runs and has climbed to the top of the points table with that. It was a short match of 11 overs per side as the complexion of the match was changed in the blink of an eye. Let’s look at the key reasons for how MI lost the encounter against RR.
Error in giving the first over to Deepak Chahar
After choosing to bowl first, astoundingly, Hardik Pandya gave the new ball to Deepak Chahar. Deepak Chahar’s line & length were quite short as Yashasvi Jaiswal & Vaibhav Sooryavanshi pummeled him brutally. Deepak had no chance to recover from the onslaught as he conceded a mind-boggling 22 runs.
Trent Boult should have given the new ball in hand, as his experience is invaluable. Later, when Boult came into bowl in the 3rd over, he was also hammered for 22 runs. Yashasvi Jaiswal & Vaibhav Sooryavanshi were toying with Boult & Chahar. The powerplay overs of 3.2 overs yielded 59 runs, which hurt Mumbai Indians a lot, as we can say half of the job was done in the powerplay overs themselves for the hosts.
Top order collapse
In a mountainous target of 151 runs, MI needed one of Ryan Ricketlton or Rohit Sharma to play a long & effective unbeaten knock just like Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 77 runs in 32 balls (*7 fours & 7 sixes). The single-digit scores from Rickelton (8) & Rohit (5) deepen the agony for MI, even Suryakumar Yadav (6) wasn’t able to trouble scorers. Hardik Pandya’s brigade in powerplay overs of 3.2 scored 30 runs but lost 3 wickets as they were behind the 8th ball in the game.
The skipper Hardik Pandya (9) & Tilak Varma (14); both of these as well, couldn’t make an impact. The required run rate was creeping immensely. At one stage, visitors’ score was 46-5 in 5 overs as the game was almost done & dusted. RR’s all the bowlers were amongst wickets as it was a collective effort. Not a single batter of MI scored 30 runs, which was the difference in the end.
Mumbai Indians are now in a bit of a concerning position as they are placed at 7th position in the points table with 2 points from 3 matches. It’s still early days in IPL 2026, as things can go absolutely crazy once the IPL is in the mid-stage. This defeat will somewhat raise questions over MI’s bowling at the start as they conceded 10-15 runs extra, which was the difference in the end.
Also Read:Â RR vs MI: Yashasvi Jaiswal & Bowlers Annihilate MI