Rohit Sharma, the India captain, was cheered. Hardik Pandya was jeered, and cheered as well. Neither Rohit, who continued to be worshipped despite being replaced as Mumbai Indians skipper, nor Hardik, his successor, could withstand the Rajasthan Royals onslaught.
Royals lived up to the reputation of being the best bowling unit in the Indian Premier League to set up a facile win at the Wankhede Stadium.
The left-arm pace duo of Trent Boult and Nandre Burger rattled the Mumbai Indians’ top-order. The spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and R. Ashwin then ensured the Royals took a firm grip on the game at the break.
Despite Hardik and Tilak Varma’s resurrecting partnership of 56 runs for the fifth wicket, Mumbai Indians could only manage 125 for nine.
Akash Madhwal then marked his first outing of the season with an impressive spell but Riyan Parag — who notched up his second successive fifty with consecutive sixes off Gerald Coetzee — took Royals home in the 16th over.
The night, though, belonged to Boult and Chahal. Thrice in his first two overs Boult saw the back of a batter who was facing his first ball. He accounted for Rohit (who poked at one that swung away to be caught by a lunging Sanju Samson) and Naman Dhir (leg-before off one that came into him) off the last two balls of the first over.
At one for two, Dewald Brevis became the earliest Impact Player introduced in IPL. But Boult, whose hat-trick was saved by Ishan Kishan, had Brevis caught at gully by Burger.
When Burger accounted for Ishan in the fifth, at 20 for four, MI was in danger of being bowled out cheaply. In came Hardik and was booed for the fourth time while taking guard. But as Hardik started timing the ball to precision, the jeers turned into cheers. A charge down the wicket for a one-bounced four over mid-on was the highlight of his three fours.
Chahal then enticed Hardik into mistiming a heave to long-on to peg MI back. He went on to bamboozle the lower-order to finish with superb figures of three for 11.
Despite Boult’s barrage, Chahal’s chivalry and Riyan’s robust hitting, the night will be remembered for how Hardik was treated on his return to his IPL alma mater.
