Muristek
Navi Mumbai, April 2
Jos Buttler's manic mayhem was matched in equal measure by spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal as Rajasthan Royals beat Mumbai Indians by 23 runs in an IPL match here today.
Buttler scored 100 off 68 balls, his second IPL ton, to help Royals to 193/8, which seemed slightly sub-par due to Jasprit Bumrah's (3/17) brilliant effort.
For MI, Ishan Kishan (54 off 43 balls) and unheralded N Tilak Verma (61 off 33 balls) added 81 in eight overs before Ashwin (1/30) and Chahal (2/26) decisively tilted the game in RR's favour from overs 14 to 16 as Mumbai managed only 170/8 after 20 overs.
While RR have now won two out of two, MI have lost both their games in another dismal start to an IPL season.
In the end, there were two factors that combined to bring about MI's downfall.
Double trouble
Pune: New Zealand fast bowler Lockie Ferguson scalped four wickets for 28 runs in a stunning display of pace and accuracy after Shubman Gill's imperious 84 to help Gujarat Titans beat Delhi Capitals by 14 runs and register their second consecutive win today.
Ferguson, who was bought for a whopping Rs 10 crore in the IPL auction, dismissed dangerous opener Prithvi Shaw (10), Mandeep Singh (18), captain Rishabh Pant (43 off 29 balls) and Axar Patel (8) to rock the DC's run chase of 172.
Veteran pacer Mohammed Shami (2/30) chipped in with two late wickets to hand DC, who finished on 157/9, their first defeat.
It was not the best of starts for DC as they lost opener Seifert in the second over. Ferguson then ot two wickets in the fifth over. —