RR vs MI Highlights, IPL 2021: Kishan's unbeaten 50, Coulter-Nile's 4-fer power Mumbai to 8-wicket win against Rajasthan

Another left-hander walks in. RR have 5 of them in top 7. 

Can David Miller reverse some of that damage?

Jimmy Neesham is back into the attack! He bowled a very tidy first over.

OUT! JUST AS I WAS TYPING, HE CLEANED UP DUBE. It was wide of off stump but it was 140 kph. Dube looked to slash it hard but ended up chopping it onto his own stumps

RR are 48/4 after 8.3 overs

A very tidy start from the big Windies all-rounder. He gives away just 4 singles. 

RR are 47/3 after 8 overs.

OUT! THROWS HIS HANDS AND HE IS CAUGHT! Neesham begins his IPL leg with a wicket off his first ball. A good, sharp catch from Jayant at backward point. 

RR are 41-3 after 6.1 overs

Glenn Phillips is the new man in

Shivam Dube walks out to bat at no.3 

RR are 41-2 

FOUR! Back of a length delivery from Bumrah. Lewis swivels and pulls the ball behind square for four

OUT! REVIEWD! Lewis looks to play the swivel pull again but this time, the ball thuds into his pads. The fact that Bumrah was bowling from around the stumps made it look plumb. MI appealed and it was given out. RR reviewed. Ultra edge showed no bat involved. Ball tracking showed THREE REDS! NO SURPRISES!

BIG WICKET FOR MI. Lewis, the dangerman, is gone for 24.  

RR are 41-2 after 5.3 overs

Just 5 off Boult's second over.

RR are 37/1 after 5 overs.

FOUR! Lewis hops onto the backfoot and late cuts the ball past a diving Bumrah at short third man for 4!

RR are 32/1 after 4 overs.

4th over and 4th new bowler so far. Australian Nathan Coulter-Nile into the attack.

OUT! Ad he strikes. Short of length outside off from NCN. Jaiswal looked to cut the ball but ended up nicking the ball to keeper Kishan. He's gone for 12.

RR are 27/1 after 3.4 overs.

Jasprit Bumrah replces Trent Boult

FOUR! SHOT, Lewis. A rank half-volley from Bumrah first up. Lewis meets it with the full face of the bat around off stump and just times it past mid off four 4. 

RR are 26/0 after 3 overs.

SIX! With a heavily-padded right foot, Lewis decided to tonk the ball over long for 6 to welcome Jayant Yadav.

FOUR! This time, Jaiswal gets into the act. Into the slot around middle and leg from Jayant. Jaiswal clears his front leg and smacks the ball wide of mid-on for 4!

FOUR! Oh, What a shot! Lovely use of the feet, gets to the pitch of the ball, makes room and drives the ball through extra cover for 4!

RR are 21/0 after 2 overs.

Both openers are receiving treatment as they nicked a ball each onto their legs. 

Meanwhile in the commentary box,  Ian Bishop said “both openers are soft.” That did bring out a bit of chuckle from me.

But Lewis is still down and he looks in a lot of pain. 
After a small halt, we are back underway

OUCH! The third ball of the first over struck around his front foot ankle after coming off the inside edge. As he got off the mark and took the first single, he seemed in some discomfort.

FOUR! Short from Boult and Jaiswal, playing his first ball of the day, leans onto the backfoot and pulls it along the ground for four to deep mid-wicket.

RR are 6/0 after 1 over.

The two onfield umpires lead out the RR openers and the MI team

Yashasvi Jaiswal and Evin Lewis have walked out to bat.

Trent Boult will open the attack.

LET'S PLAY!

This match could possibly decide who goes into the Playoffs and who doesn't. So make sure to stay with us as we watch the action unravels.

Well, the last 5 encounters suggest a story. Not only have RR dominated but 4/5 results have been pretty comprehensive. Both teams need the exact same today.

MI won by 7 wickets

RR won by 8 wickets

MI won by 57 runs

RR won by 5 wickets

RR won by 4 wickets

3: Mumbai Indians has lost 3 out of the 5 IPL matches played at Sharjah.

• 3: Hardik Pandya needs 3 fours and 3 sixes to complete 100 fours and sixes in IPL.

• 1: runs Ishan Kishan needs to complete 1000 IPL runs for MI.

• 2: sixes Rohit Sharma needs to complete 400 T20 sixes, He will be 1st Indian to achieve this feast.

• 7: sixes Sanju Samson needs to complete 200 T20 sixes.

• 9: wickets Chetan Sakariya needs to complete 50 T20 wickets.

• 350: David Miller will be playing his 350th T20 match

• 41: runs David Miller needs to complete 2000 IPL runs.

• 5: dismissals Sanju Samson needs to complete 50 wicketkeeping dismissals for RR in IPL. He will be the 1st Wicketkeeper to do so in IPL

RR- Mayank Markande and Akash Singh miss out; Shreyas Gopal and Kuldip Yadav come in.

MI- Quinton de Kock and Krunal Pandya miss out; James Neesham and Ishan Kishan come in

“We face different challenges in each game. We have a decent combination which can suit this wicket. Looking forward to an exciting game. We have to keep it simple, will have to trust ourselves. We have made two changes. Shreyas Gopal comes in for Mayank and Kuldip Yadav comes in for Akash Singh.”

We are going to bowl first. We have tried everything in this UAE leg. The wicket doesn't change too much, so we thought having a target in front of us when we bat. We know where we stand at the moment. Every individual knows what to do. It's about coming here and executing. We need to read situations, not to worry about the table, if we play well the results will take care of itself. Two changes: Ishan comes back for de Kock and Neesham from Krunal. We looked at how the game is being played here. The pacers have done well with the slower balls"

Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Evin Lewis, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson(w/c), Shivam Dube, Glenn Phillips, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Shreyas Gopal, Kuldip Yadav, Mustafizur Rahman, Chetan Sakariya

Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Ishan Kishan(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Saurabh Tiwary, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, James Neesham, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jayant Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult

Rohit Sharma's Mumbai Indians win toss, opt to bowl

"There is variation in the bowling attack thanks to the left-armers in our team. There are a few youngsters as well who are playing their first IPL. The thinking on the part of the management would be to induce the surprise factor and bring to the table as many variations as they can. I am playing the every odd game. I am trying to prove that I am good enough to be in the XI. No one is a youngster at this stage. Everyone is a contender. Whoever is doing well is getting a game and trying to do well. The last win was important. And we do talk about momentum. We do get some good momentum after winning such games. No one was happy after the bowling performance in the last five overs. But the batters made a great comeback to give us momentum. It is easier to say when it comes to following the process. Sometimes there is hardly a gap between games. Whatever you can correct, the performance will anyways get better."

“It has always been how the captain and the management have wanted to use the resources. It has been a clear cut communication since I have arrived at Mumbai. As a professional cricketer, in a big tournament like this you need to prepare yourselves and be ready. You have to be ready on your toes. It is a must win game. There is a great sense of belief in the team that we can do it. The atmosphere in the dressing has been about winning the crunch battles. Just keep it simple and follow the process.”

The pitch we are using has been used on two previous occasions, both times the team batting second has won. First one was the RCB-CSK game where 156 was chased and then recently the DC vs MI game. The surface has got a bit of sheen, not the old Sharjah sheen. Run-scoring has been tough, it does look dark and patchy. Don't think run-scoring is going to be easy. Anyone winning the toss is going to bat second."

- Reckons Murali Karthik