Archer, Gowtham hand Mumbai another final-over defeat
Rajasthan Royals' two big uncapped signings turned it on at critical moments to swing an exceedingly tight game
Rajasthan Royals' two big uncapped signings turned it on at critical moments to swing an exceedingly tight game
Commentator: Sreshth Shah
12.10am That's it from all of us at ESPNcricinfo. Hope you enjoyed the weekend's action. We'll see you tomorrow evening for match 22: between Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab. Till then, this is Sreshth Shah, signing off on behalf of the rest of our crew. Adios.
12.04am Oh, man. What a game of cricket. The unlikeliest of candidates with the bat wins it for Rajasthan Royals. Six boundary-shots from K Gowtham as he makes 33 off 11 balls. That's the difference between both sides as Mumbai lose their fourth game. Archer, Tripathi, and the rest come running out to hug the tall man, but spare a thought for Hardik Pandya. He walks away, alone, knowing fully well he didn't bowl that final over well. Stick around for the presentation.
Jofra Archer, the IPL debutant, is the Man of the Match. Says: "It's good to be back in the park. We just wanted to restrict them. Stokesy and I had a chat, saying we had to pull things back. The chase was a bit nervy, but I knew with our dug-out talent we're gonna complete it easy. The heartbeat is still pumping."
Ajinkya Rahane, the winning captain: "Still can't believe what happened. The way KG and Sanju batted, wow, but credit to our bowlers to pull it back. I thought Mumbai would make 180-190, but still KG's knock was unbelievable. During the time-out, we wanted to take it deep, because we knew we had Jos, Ben, Klaasen. Rahul (Tripathi) batted well at the top last year, so we were just thinking about the combination. I think we'll continue with that. Archer's fantastic. Happy to see him back. The way he bowled in the middle-overs was incredible. Jofra can bowl 140+ and his accuracy was fantastic. He's always thinking about wickets and that's the way to go."
Diwakar: "MI have lost the match twice this season that they were almost winning and both the times their former player made that happen. Bravo against CSK and now K Gowtham against RR." -- Isn't everyone ex Mumbai Indians though? :P
Jayaprakash: "When MI lost their first 3 close matches many experts weren't really concerned. But, seeing as the trend seems to continue - there is just something not quite right with MI. will be surprised if they make the playoffs now"
Sasi Kanth: "If a team is not able to win the pressure moments of the game consistently, the leadership group needs to have a hard look in the mirror. Are they creating the right environment for their players to back their skills and enjoy the moment?"
Akshaye: "Samson's words show what a humble and modestcharacter he is, a marked difference from the other player from Kerala who played for Royals, the fast bowler who led to them being banned.."
Manish : "I would like to challenge India cricket team with these young lads. My young India XI K rahul (c), Ishan K, Sanju S, Rana, Rishabh P (wk), Krunal P, Gowtham, Martande, s kaul, tewatia, chahar."
Naman: "Rohit's speeches this season.. "We were 10-15 runs short... Credit goes to opponent team...""
Gowtham, the man of the moment: "On top of the world, had a decent first-class season with the bat. My captain said 'believe', and that's what I did. No nerves on turning the single down. Just needed six off three balls, one good hit, that's all I was thinking."
Rial: "K for Karthik in Nidhas and now K for Krishnappa. Remember the K"
Pratik Suhas De: "Poor captaincy by Rohit. Bowlers and the captain were not in sync at all. Short/wide Yorker with no third man/fine leg! How does that make sense?!"
Samson, the orange-cap holder: "How many runs one makes, it's the person who hits the winning runs that matters. Very happy for Gowtham. Happy that we won, because otherwise getting the orange cap by losing means nothing."
Jai: "Feel as though this is the toughest loss for Mumbai this season so far. Were in a good winning position until the last three overs. They have a talented pace attack, but there's definitely a piece missing in their attack.."
Rohit Sharma, the losing captain Not easy to digest. Especially, towards the end we were in the game, but credit to them. Not easy to score 10-per-over on this surface. Not making 180-190 hurt us. We didn't capitalise on the start we got. It's the second or third time we've done this. We've addressed this before, but need to improve. We needed to be smarter on where we should've hit the ball, but credit to their bowlers. Not easy to lose close games, and that's why I've not been too critical of our bowlers. They have pulled things back often, but our batting wasn't good. Twenty more runs would've been enough.
Six off three now.... both camps are nervous.
Royals need six off four balls. Massive conference happening in the middle, between Rohit and the Pandya bros. Ajinkya Rahane looks super nervous.
Abhinav: "Feels like a super over is on the cards!!" -- Ten needed off five balls
JC Archer c & b HH Pandya 8 (9b 1x4 0x6) SR: 88.88
Royals need 10 off the final over - what a crazy Sunday of cricket, eh? Hardik to bowl the final over.
The equation read 43 off 17 balls when an uncapped batsman walks in to play but his fifth IPL innings. One of the best death bowlers in the world will take charge of the next over. How do you think the game ends?
With Rajasthan Royals needing 43 off 17 balls, K Gowtham showed off his hard-hitting ability, smashing an unbeaten 33 off 11 balls to seal a thrilling turnaround win
Rohit's return to form mirrors Mumbai's rise. Can they sustain the surge?
Rajasthan Royals' two big uncapped signings turned it on at critical moments to swing an exceedingly tight game