The Rajasthan Royals have put their names in the tally for a 2020 Indian Premier League playoff spot with a win over the Mumbai Indians on Sunday at the Sheikh Zayed Satdium. Though maligned for their consistency throughout the season, RR’s hitters held out against MI as they chased a 196-run goal in 18.2 overs.
England all-rounder Ben Stokes was RR’s hero of the night as he broke a 107 of 60 balls to propel his team to a complete 8 wicket victory. He was ably supported by Sanju Samson, who scored half a century with 31 balls.
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Stokes had faced some difficulties at home before the tournament and decided to dedicate his century to his father, who is battling cancer.
“It’s a bit bittersweet, to be honest. A little taken aback by the fact that it took me so long to get into the tournament for the team. To be honest, the training I had yesterday was the best I had during my time here, so I went into this with a bit of confidence. It was going really well, ”Stokes told Star Sports host in the post-game presentation.
Bittersweet to be honest, it took so long to get one for the team. I would have preferred to have this form two or three games earlier when we weren’t relying on other results to get through to the playoffs. It is always good to get back into shape. We needed a result from today so it’s a good victory. Yesterday’s training was the best I’ve had for the entire time I’ve been here. I entered the game with much more confidence than the other games. It’s good to spend some time in between and finish the game. The ball was very good, either short or full. It was difficult when they nailed him to the gate. We put ourselves in great position by putting pressure on every bowler who came in. They obviously have Bumrah, who we managed to score probably much freer than we thought we could. It’s a bit difficult at the moment, things are a bit tough at home, hopefully this will give you some happiness ”.
Stokes and Samson formed an undefeated 152-run partnership. With this victory, Rajasthan Royals have now moved to sixth place in the points table with 10 points, while the Mumbai Indians are still in first place with 14 points. For the 107 hit, Ben Stokes was awarded ‘Man of the Match’.
Stokes’s father, Ged, a former international rugby league player, was hospitalized in Johannesburg last year just before Christmas. Stokes also missed the first IPL matches this year, as he was with his sick father in Christchurch.
Previously, Saurabh Tiwary and Hardik Pandya broke 74 runs from the last four overs, while the Mumbai Indians posted a total of 195/5 in the twenty allotted overs. Hardik Pandya regained his half century with just 20 balls and was undefeated in 60 runs with just 21 balls.
For the Rajasthan Royals, Jofra Archer and Shreyas Gopal started two sites.
The Rajasthan Royals will face the Kings XI Punjab on Friday, October 30 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
(with ANI inputs)
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