Dream 11 IPL 2020, 45th Match
Rajasthan Royals (RR) VS Mumbai Indians (MI)
Played At Abu Dhavi on 25 October, 2020
Brief Scorecard:
Rajasthan Royals (RR) 196/2 in 18.2 Overs (Ben Stokes 107* , S Sampson 54 ) beat Mumbai Indians ( MI) 195/5
(HH Pandy 60*, SA Yadav 40, Ishan Kishan 37, SS Tiwary 34, S Gopal 2/30, JC Archer2/31) by 8 wickets.
Player of the Match: Benjamin Andrew Stokes
Brilliant unbeaten 107 in 60 deliveries by New Zealand Origin flamboyant English all rounder Ben Stokes and a soothing unfinished 152 runs 3rd wicket partnership with Indian Youngster Sanju Sampson (54*) led RR turn the table on tournament favorites MI. RR chasing 195 for an improbable looking victory against formidable MI attack won in style by 8 wickets. Such a fabulous win opened the window of a thin probability for a last minute squeeze into elite group of four. The fate of the match was almost a foregone conclusion after MI batting first posted impressive 195/5. In one of the most spectacular run chase RR cantered past the target scoring 196/2 in 18.2 overs.
RR so far in this year’s tournament did not deliver to full potential. Moreover, Boult, Pattinson, Bumrah, Pandya featured MI attack is among the best in the business. Stokes is one of the present day impact player in all format of cricket. But he had to stay away from competitive cricket during the ongoing pandemic attending his ailing father in Christchurch. In his unaccustomed position as opener he had a quiet IPL 2020 till yesterday. But best players reserve their best against tougher oppositions.
Wicket at Abu Dhavi behaved inconsistently so far. In some matches on slow low wickets playing strokes appeared challenging. But strong MI batting on the day rallied posting impressive 195/5 with contributions from HH Pandya (60* in only 21 deliveries ) , SA Yadav ( 40 from 25 balls ) , Ishan Kishan (37) and SS Tiwary (34 ) . S Gopal 2/ 30 and JC Archer 2/31 were the peak of RR bowlers.
Aussie speedster Pattinson removing R Uthappa and Steve Smith early created some early indents as RR reduced to 44/2 by the 5th over. But on the day Stokes looked impeccable from the start. Runs kept flowing from his bat like tidal surge. He found an able partner in Sanju Sampson. Stokes struck as many as 14 boundaries and 3 sixes in his rock and roll unbeaten innings of 107 in only 60 deliveries. He reached 100 with a huge six and following up with scorching boundary of the bowling of Pattinson won the match huge and handsome for RR by 8 wickets with 10 ball to spare. Young Sanju was his able partner in winning momentum remaining unbeaten on 54 scored off 31 deliveries . RR has to win both of the matches for a possible last minute entry into the elite club of four. But that too would require many permutations and combinations.
BDST: 1355 HRS, OCT 26, 2020
AP
