Fifty for Parag, three wickets each for Boult, Chahal; Rajasthan Royals thrash Mumbai Indians by six wickets

MUMBAI: Riyan Parag smashed his second fifty of this year's Indian Premier League as he helped Rajasthan Royals thrash Mumbai Indians (MI) by six wickets on Monday at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Parag played spoilsport in Hardik Pandya-led MI's team homecoming who are still hunting their first win of the season. On a ground that is known for some of the highest-scoring games, the hosts succumbed to 125/9, leaving RR to chase down a paltry target of 126.

Yashasvi Jaiswal's lean run in the IPL continued as the young speedster, Kwena Maphaka, removed the young opener for 10. RR skipper Sanju Samson (12) failed to make an impact, with Akash Madhwal dislodging the bails off the stumps. Madhwal stuck again by dismissing Jos Buttler (13), making RR totter in the powerplay. Parag came in and eased the nerves with some quality stroke play to steady the visitors' sinking ship. With sublime confidence, Parag found the fence with ease, leaving the MI bowlers at his mercy. He smoked back-to-back sixes in the 16th over to raise his bat for 50. On the next ball, he found the top edge, which flew over the keeper's head and sealed a comfortable six-wicket win over MI with more than four overs to spare.

Earlier in the innings, Chahal and Boult bowled their hearts out against Mumbai, bagging three wickets each, while Nandre Burger returned with two scalps. Captain Hardik Pandya scored the highest for the MI with 34 off 21 deliveries, while Tilak Varma played a crucial knock of 32 runs in 29 balls. Rajasthan Royals bowlers absolutely bossed Mumbai batters as Pandya-led Mumbai's homecoming did not go according to their plan so far as the team posted their lowest total in the IPL 2024.

Brief score: Mumbai Indians 125/9 (Hardik Pandya 34, Tilak Varma 32; Yuzvendra Chahal 3-11) vs Rajasthan Royals 127/4 (Riyan Parag 54*, Akash Madhwal 3-20).