MI made their way to Jaipur, where they had not emerged victorious since 2012. It was clear that this record did not sit well with them, as they have now achieved the joint-highest score at the ground in IPL.
Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton both contributed fifties, creating a solid foundation for the team. However, their partnership ended at an opportune moment for MI, with 8.1 overs still remaining for Suryakumar Yadav to make his mark. With 116 runs already on the board, Suryakumar was in a prime position to excel and he wasted no time in doing so. In fact, he aggressively attacked six out of the first seven balls he faced, only missing out on one that was too wide for him to hit. This is a common error bowlers make as they try to avoid giving him opportunities to showcase his powerful strikes.
Suryakumar’s impressive performance in the IPL continued as he finished with 48 not out, breaking the record for the most consecutive scores of 25 or more at 11. In a determined innings, he relentlessly attempted to hit boundaries off every other delivery, totaling 13 attempts in 23 balls. As expected, there were plenty of thrilling moments, one being in the 19th over when he successfully connected with a high-speed yorker from Jofra Archer, resulting in a boundary over short fine. Despite rolling around on the ground and losing his grip on his bat, Suryakumar had accomplished what he set out to do.
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On the opposite end, Hardik Pandya showed a similar level of aggression. His strategy involves holding his position at the crease and capitalizing on any deliveries that miss their target. Rohit’s performance is reminiscent of his previous form, with impeccable timing. He utilized his fluid movement around the crease to outsmart both the fielders and bowlers, regardless of the pace. However, it was Rickelton who kicked off the explosive batting spree. Despite Rajasthan Royals’ attempts to restrict him to hitting towards the longer leg-side boundary, he rose to the challenge. More than two-thirds of his first 51 runs were scored on the leg side, demonstrating his proficiency in executing short-arm pulls and maintaining balance against slower deliveries.
