Rajasthan Royals 183 for 1 (Jaiswal 104*) batting Mumbai Indians 179 for 9 (Tilak 65, Sandeep 5-18) with nine wickets
Jaiswal added 74 in eight overs with Jos Buttler, who made 35 off 25, and another 109 off 65 with Sanju Samson, whose terrific suspension on 19 by Tim David at midwicket was the moment all hope of Mumbai. By then, Jaiswal also had an important departure, on 50, when Wadhera at deep cover edged a Piyush Chawla over the ropes for six.
Mumbai’s performance was summed up by the development of the two outstanding bowlers of the campaign. After being angered by a first-ball slap for a six, Gerald Coetzee bowled like the wind in his solitary powerplay, visibly troubling Jaiswal with his 150km/h pace, particularly a top pull that flew over the keeper for four. However, he was given no more until Jaiswal got into the 80s, when again he had a well-set batsman to shy away from, but by this stage the match was already lost.
And though Jasprit Bumrah bowled with his unparalleled gusto up front, including an opening two runs to curtail Buttler’s early intentions, he too was held back very late in the chase – and when he returned, his return was not successful. A first ball no-ball was followed by a second ball wide on the height, where Jaiswal took the free hit for six, en route to a 16-run over, Bumrah’s most expensive of a stellar season.
Boult, Sandeep boss the powerplay
Mumbai had batted first after winning the toss, provided there was not much dew on offer when chasing in Jaipur. There was, however, enough movement from another dry surface to reward Royals’ attacks throughout, and off a ball in the fourth over, Sandeep had launched a memorable performance in style to reduce his opponents to a ropey 20 for 3.
The first of his victims was Ishan Kishan, caught behind for a third-ball duck as he went fishing on Sandeep’s wide line, pushed tantalizingly up his bow. Then, after a flurry of two fours in three balls that hinted at the riches to come, Suryakumar Yadav swung untimed along the scrambled seam and was already winning as the ball fell into the hands of Rowman Powell at midwicket.
Mohammad Nabi ended the powerplay with a flurry of 18 runs off Avesh Khan’s first over, but at 45 for 3, the damage at the top was already evident.
200 over for Yuzvendra Chahal
The moment came with another sly piece of bowling as Nabi, on 23, closed the face on the front foot to take an edge back at the bowler off his third delivery. Chahal fell to his knees as his teammates enveloped him, fully aware of the feat of supremacy and endurance he had just recorded. And, at 52 for 4, Mumbai were also on their knees.
Tilak, Wadhera find some fight
Counted at the start – particularly when R Ashwin raced through four overs wicketless for 31 – and then with increasing certainty, Mumbai’s revival fell entirely to two of the youngest men in their ranks. Tilak led the line with a fighting 65 off 45, bringing up his fifty with a six that made him, at the age of 21 years and 166 days, the third youngest player to 1000 IPL runs.
However, it was the lesser-known Wadhera, playing his first match of the season, who provided the impetus that suited the needs of this extremely high-scoring edition. His 49 off 24 balls included three fours and four sixes – two of them off consecutive balls from Chahal, who moments earlier thought he had managed to trap Tilak lbw for 55 in the reverse sweep.
DRS, however, indicated that the ball was missing and the pair celebrated the break with a blistering century, which spoke volumes for the importance of their stand. But, as it turned out, their partnership would end on 99 off 54 balls when Boult was recalled to the attack for the final over. His first delivery was a slower ball, which Wadhera could only bowl back.
Sandeep applies the glossy finish
At 170 for 5 in the 18th over, Mumbai still had designs on a 200-run total, but Royals’ death bowlers had other ideas. Avesh was on hand to pin Hardik Pandya lbw for 10 as he walked into his stumps and after leaking just six runs, even with Tim David looking to take it easy, Sandeep closed out the innings.
Tilak’s excellent knock ended with a drop from Powell at long-on, after which Coetzee’s first delivery of the ball picked out Shimron Hetmyer in the ground. David finally got the strike with three balls to spare but also picked a boundary rider to make it three wickets in the over, and 5 for 18 all out for Sandeep.
Not only were they the best figures by an Indian bowler for the Royals, Sandeep’s figures marked a triumphant return after an injury-plagued season – he had previously taken a wicket in two outings before a side strain kept him out for more than a month.
Jaiswal finds his range at the right time
After two double centuries and more than 700 runs in a stunning Test campaign against England, Jaiswal’s IPL has been something of a slump – just 121 runs and a top score of 39 in seven previous knocks. But his precocity was never in doubt, and when he finally reached his first fifty of this campaign, the acclaim on the Royals bench was remarkable. They’re already top of the table at the halfway point, after all… if they hit their straps for the run-in, so much the better for their second title prospects.
In the end, it was as if he had never left. His innings was littered with eight fours and seven sixes, including the match-winning stroke at Tilak’s point with eight balls left unused. On his watch, Royals are four points clear at the top and improving with each outing.
Andrew Miller is ESPNcricinfo’s UK editor. @miller_cricket