Suryakumar Yadav scored a 47-ball 79* – his highest score in the Indian Premier League – to help Mumbai Indians post 193/4 against Rajasthan Royals in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, 6 October.
From 117/4 in 14 overs, Yadav and Hardik’s crucial unbeaten 76-run partnership, including 51 runs off the last three overs, took Mumbai to a competitive total.
Hardik scored a 19-ball 30* which featured two boundaries and a six.
Choosing to bat first at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, openers Quinton de Kock and Rohit Sharma got the defending champions off to a decent start. However, debutant Kartik Tyagi denied the duo of a big partnership by dismissing de Kock for a 15-ball 23 – his maiden IPL scalp in his first over.
In the 10th over, Shreyas Gopal put the brakes on Mumbai’s innings by picking up two wickets in two balls – dismissing captain Rohit Sharma for 35 (off 23 balls), and Ishan Kishan for a golden duck.
Midway through their innings, Mumbai Indians had posted 90/3.
Suryakumar carried the innings forward. After adding 39 runs with the skipper, he stitched a 29-run stand with Krunal Pandya, who was dismissed Jofra Archer for a 17-ball 12.
Suryakumar scored his first half-century of this season off 33 deliveries, and his knock included 11 boundaries and two sixes.
While MI are looking to complete a third consecutive win this season, RR are hoping to bounce back after their eight-wicket defeat to Royal Challengers Bangalore in their previous game.
Mumbai are currently placed second in the standings with four points while Rajasthan are fifth with four points.
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