Archer with the final over. 

WICKET!! Nails the yorker, Boult can only jam it back to the bowler and he is caught short at the non-striker’s end while looking to sneak in a single. 

Trent Boult run out (Jofra Archer) 1(2)

Bumrah the last man in. 

Chahar on strike, clubs one down the ground to long on to bring Bumrah on strike. 

Four!! Oh shot! Bumrah waits and guides a slower short ball over third man for four.

Pulls the next slower ball through midwicket and picks up a couple. 

Chahar mistimes the final ball over cover, will fall short of the fielder. MI falls short by 27 runs.

Sandeep to bowl the penultimate over. 

Shardul goes for an almightly slog down the ground, doesn’t make contact. A wide down leg to follow. 

Slower ball, wide outside off, called a wide onfield but Sandeep wants a review. And rightly so, was just inside the guideline. 

Shardul connects this time, not well enough to clear the fence. Jaiswal manages to pull it back in after it bounces just ahead of the rope. Two runs taken. 

A short ball, called wide. WICKET!! A swipe across the line only brings a top edge with Jurel accepts with ease. 

Shardul Thakur c Dhruv Jurel b Sandeep Sharma 8(7)

Boult in at 10. Swings the first ball to long on for one. Four! Slightly short outside off, Chahar slices it over backward point and picks up four. Just 9 from the over. 

Sandeep ends with 2/26 in 3 overs. Brilliant!

Burger with his second. 

Four!! Shardul shuffles across and laps one over short fine for a boundary. Full and straight, drilled to long on for one. 

Back of a length and wide to Naman, who only manages to slap it to short extra cover.

Four!! Wide again, slices it over short third man to pick up four more. WICKET!! Goes downtown next ball, was the right length to play that shot, but he finds the fielder in the deep. That should seal the game for RR. 

Naman Dhir c Ravi Bishnoi b Nandre Burger 25(13)

Deepak Chahar comes in at 9. Four!! Streaky! Angled in, clips his pads and runs away to the fence through fine leg. 

Deshpande back for his second. 

Four!! Short on off, Naman dabs it over short third man for four. Pacy and full, mistimes it towards long on for one. 

SIX!! Rutherford deposits a full, wide ball over extra cover for a huuuge six!

Slower short ball, called a wide. Six!! Full toss on the pads, Rutherford flicks it over deep backward square for six! Wait a minute, MI hasn’t given up yet.

Rate down to 17.4 now. 

WICKET!! Deshpande didn’t like my comment. Removes Rutherford the very next ball. Was a length ball angling away, Rutherford gets an outside edge that is pouched brilliantly by Sandeep at third man. 

Sherfane Rutherford c Sandeep Sharma b Tushar Deshpande 25(8)

Shardul the next man in. Gets on outside edge after going through the shot much before it arrived, Burger does well to prevent a four. 

Required rate is now 18.2.

Dropped! Jaiswal ran in from long on but drops a skier from Rutherford who looked to go after Bishnoi’s googly. 

Googly again, Rutherford pushes to midwicket and picks up a couple. Too wide this time, called a wide. Chipped in the air, comfortably past Bishnoi, Rutherford will pick a single to long on. 

Slightly short to Naman, who crashes it through the covers for a single. Four!! Rutherford expects the googly, carves it past backward point and finds the gap. Suryavanshi dives over the ball in fact. 

Four! Lofted over cover this time, just beats the fielder in the ring. A second four in the over. 

Sherfane Rutherford, the impact player in for Mumbai. 

Sandeep to Naman Dhir. Slower ball, keeps low and goes under the batter’s shot. Just a couple to long on off the next ball. 

Six! Short but right in Naman’s arc, pulls it through midwicket for six. Sherfane starts running after Naman mishits one to third man. A direct hit would have been out. 

Four!! Slower ball, in the slot, Naman gets an outside edge which runs past short third for four. 

Chips the next one over the bowler’s head and picks up two runs. 14 from the over. 

Ravi Bishnoi into the attack. 

Full ball, yorker length on the stumps, Tilak jams down the ground for one. 

Four!! Length ball outside off, slapped through the covers for a boundary. No chance for the deep cover fielder who could only get two steps in before the ball hit the cushions. 

WICKET!! Hardik uses his bottom hand to whip one down the ground, can’t clear long on. There’s the fourth wicket. 

Hardik Pandya c Yashasvi Jaiswal b Ravi Bishnoi 9(6)

Naman Dhir the next batter in. Gets off the mark with a single to midwicket. 

Four!! Googly outside off to Tilak, who whips it into the gap through midwicket to pick up a boundary. 

WICKET!! It’s a procession! Tilak goes after the full ball, looks to slog it through midwicket, ends up holing out to the fielder in the deep. 

Tilak Varma c Shimron Hetmyer b Ravi Bishnoi 14(10)

Tushar Deshpande into the attack. Four!! Tilak pulls a slightly wide delivery outside off towards wide long on for a boundary. 

In the air....but safe. Deshpande goes short, Tilak mistimes his pull shot but just manages to clear mid on and midwicket. Single. 

Four! Full and straight, Hardik drives past mid off and finds the boundary. Slower bouncer outside off, Hardik fails to make contact with his slash. 

Slower bouncer again, will be called a wide. Jurel fails to catch it behind the wicket and concedes a single. Oh...it’s not called a wide. So just the bye then. 

Wide outside off, Tilak carves to deep cover for one. 11 runs from the over. 

Sandeep Sharma in for the third over. Back-to-back dot balls to start. The second of which is jammed to short third by Rohit. 

WICKET!! Keeper up to the stumps. Rohit looks to put his front foot across and sweep it fine. Is caught in front and the umpire raises his finger. Three reds and that’s the third.

Rohit Sharma lbw b Sandeep Sharma 5(6)

Hardik the next man in. A good effort on the field by Parag ensures Pandya can only pick up one with his shot down the ground. 

Tilak punches one straight back to Sandeep on the bounce. 

Sandeep goes down leg this time and concedes a wide. Tilak pushes a length ball to long on for one. Just three runs from the over. 

Burger with the second over. A misfield from Jaiswal at mid on allows Rohit to pick up three runs. 

Surya, the new batter, takes strike. Six!! Burger went down leg, Surya shuffles across and paddles it over short fine leg and manages to clear the ropes. 

Down leg again, called wide. Angling away from the right hander from over the wicket, Surya gets an outside edge to backward point. Dot ball. 

WICKET!! Back of a length tucked into the shoulder, Surya looks to pull it towards square leg and picks out the fielder in the deep. 

Suryakumar Yadav c Jofra Archer b Nandre Burger 6(3)

Tilak Varma in at 4. Gets off the mark with a couple after an inside edge to deep square leg. 

Tilak has to readjust after Burger goes back of the length. Was looking to charge down, only manages to defend it back to the bowler. 

Mumbai Indians up against it in Guwahati. A required rate of 13.63 to begin with in the truncated 11-over game. 

Ryan Rickelton and Rohit Sharma walk out in pursuit of the chase. Jofra Archer with the ball in hand. Ravi Bishnoi has replaced Ferreira as the impact sub meanwhile. 

Back of a length to start against Rickelton, he defends it to the offside off his toes and picks up a single. 

Archer to Rohit, full on the stumps, Rohit inside edges it onto his pads and trickles away to the offside. 

Rickelton defends another back-of-a-length ball to mid off for one. So far so good for Royals. 

Rohit whips a fuller ball through midwicket, there was a fielder placed in the deep but it falls well short. Single. 

Six!! Full on the stumps to Rickelton this time, lofted over midwicket and clears the fence handsomely. 

WICKET!! Pulls the length back a touch. Rickleton goes for it again, gets a top edge that swerves around in the air. Jurel does well to pouch it safely. 

Ryan Rickelton c Dhruv Jurel b Jofra Archer 8(4)

Ghazanfar with his second, Jaiswal smashes it straight down the ground for a SIX! Jaiswal tries to sweep that but fails to connect, ball goes to short fine leg for a single. Oohhhh little inside edge from Parag, good job from the keeper to stop that. Parag goes long and over long on for a SIX! Parag goes again but he’s caught at long on! GHAZANFAR GETS HIS SECOND! THE RR CAPTAIN IS GONE!

Riyan Parag c Tilak Varma b AM Ghazanfar 20(10) [4s-1 6s-2]

Shimron Hetmyer in, takes a single on the offside off his first ball.

Bumrah back into the attack after being taken to the cleaners in his first over. Starts with a slower one, Parag tugs it down the ground for a single. Around the wicket to Jaiswal, who tries to get it through short third but it’s well fielded, dot ball. Slower bouncer from Bumrah, Jaiswal pulls it to the leg side for a single. Oooohhh deft touch and soft hands from Parag, manages to get it just beyond the keeper for a BOUNDARY!

Parag takes a single on the leg side. Jaiswal on strike, who is just four runs away from a half century. Bumrah goes full, Jaiswal hits it to extra cover for a single.

Ghazanfar into the attack, starts with a wide. Too short from Ghazanfar but Jaiswal doesn’t make the intended connect, ball goes to the leg side for a single. Dhruv Jurel in at three, tucks it nicely in the leg side for two runs. Oooohhh, Jurel tries to cut that but is beaten. Straight and plumb and that’s gone! JUREL IS TRAPPED LBW! Jurel reviews it.

No bat involved, three reds and Jurel is gone! RR lose a review.

Dhruv Jurel lbw b AM Ghazanfar 2(3)

Riyan Parag is in at four, starts with a single on the off side. Shot from Jaiswal, over extra cover for a BOUNDARY!

Shardul Thakur into the attack. Suryavanshi hits it over extra cover all the way for SIX! Slower one from Shardul but Suryavanshi hits it over extra cover again for another BOUNDARY! Poor bowling from Shardul. Oooohhh, Suryavanshi tries to cut it but under edges it straight to the keeper, Suryavanshi sneaks in a quick single. Slower ball from Shardul again, Jaiswal hits it to deep cover for a single. Short from Shardul and Suryavanshi hits it straight down the ground for a SIX! What an exhibition of cricket shots it has been so far! Suryavanshi smashes it but picks out the fielder at deep extra cover and Tilak Varma takes a good catch! SURYAVANSHI IS GONE AFTER AN ENTERTAINING CAMEO!

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi c Tilak Varma b Shardul Thakur 39(14) [4s-1 6s-5]

Boult into the attack and Jaiswal flicks it off his pads for a SIX! WELCOMES BOULT WITH A MAXIMUM! Boult goes short and Jaiswal pulls it for a SIX! WOW THAT SOUNDED SO GOOD OFF THE BAT! Boult goes full, Jaiswal flicks it to mid wicket for a single. 100 IPL sixes for Jaiswal. WOW! SURYAVANSHI THIS TIME! FLICKS IT FOR A SIX! 50 UP FOR RR IN DOUBLE QUICK TIME!

Wide down the off side from Boult. Suryavanshi hits it straight down the ground but there’s a fielder at long on who cuts it down to a single. Good stop from Pandya at mid off or that would have been another boundary.

Jaiswal and Suryavanshi walk out to the middle for RR. Chahar takes the new ball for MI. Jaiswal on strike. Slip in place. JAISWAL STARTS WITH A BOUNDARY! SHORT FROM CHAHAR AND JAISWAL PULLS IT FOR A FOUR! What a shot over mid wicket for a SIX! 10 RUNS OF THE OVER ALREADY! Chahar goes full, Jaiswal gets slightly lucky with that, doesn’t time it as well but just manages to get it over point for another BOUNDARY!

Dead ball, Jaiswal was not ready. First dot ball of the innings, Jaiswal flicks it straight to mid wicket. Full toss from Chahar and Jaiswal goes down the ground for a BOUNDARY! WHAT A START FOR RR! Through cover for a FOUR!

MI wins the toss, opts to bowl first. 

“We’re going to bowl. It has been under the covers. Bowling gives us a clearer idea. Start of the season, we can’t win or lose the IPL,” says Hardik Pandya. Hardik and Boult return. 

“Would have bowled as well. Conditions should be same throughout. Not much change in just 11 overs,” says Riyan Parag.

• Match reduced to 11 overs per side
• PowerPlay- 3.2 overs
• One bowler can bowl a maximum of three overs
• Four bowlers can bowl a maximum of two overs each
• Ten minute break between innings

There is some rain on the horizon for tomorrow’s encounter between Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Giants in New Delhi.

However, there is some good news for the Titans fans. Skipper Shubman Gill will be fit to take on the reins of the team if the contest carries on. He has fully recovered from a neck spasm that kept him out against RR.

Ground staff back in after rain stops again, says Pranay. One cover is being taken off now. One last-ditch attempt to salvage a game?

Another spell of drizzle will surely put paid to the hopes of a game continuing, with the cut-off time for a 5-over game, just under two hours away. 

The most awaited face off from today’s contest, Jasprit Bumrah vs the 15-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi has been put on hold for the time being because of the rain and it will be a shame if we don’t get to see the two go up against each other once again.

Suryavanshi was already in the playing XI when RR faced MI last year but unfortunately for the teenager, he was dismissed before Bumrah was introduced into the attack. If in the unfortunate event that the rain does not subside and the match is called off, we will have to wait until May 24 when RR and MI play the reverse fixture to watch Suryavanshi face Bumrah. 

RR’s pace spearhead Jofra Archer has played seven innings against MI in the IPL. He has picked up 12 wickets at an average of 17.16 and economy rate of 7.35. 

The English pacer has also played matches for MI in the showpiece event, picking up two wickets. 

Rohit Sharma has racked up over 7000 runs in the IPL, scoring truckload of runs against a number of opposition teams but his run scoring form against Rajasthan Royals has been pretty ordinary so far to say the least. 

Rohit is the fourth highest run scorer in RR vs MI matches with 467 runs, but those runs have come at a below par average of 18.68. Moreover, he only has a strike rate of 128 against RR, which is slow in the context of the modern T20 game. After scoring a blistering 78 against KKR at a strike rate of over 200 in the first game, can Rohit defy past stats and improve his record against RR today? 

Not raining at the moment. Still quite gloomy though with grey clouds hovering over the stadium, says Pranay. The pitch remains firmly covered, but the ones over the outfield are coming off one by one, he adds. 

• Jasprit Bumrah- 19 wickets @ 19.36, ER- 6.34
• Dhawal Kulkarni- 17 wickets @ 23.64, ER- 8.20
• Kieron Pollard- 16 wickets @ 22.31, ER- 9.43
• Trent Boult- 14 wickets @ 21.92, ER- 8.26
• Harbhajan Singh- 14 wickets @ 28.21, ER- 7.74

Pranay informs that the rain has relented for now near Barsapara. The skies continue to look quite gloomy, however. 

• Sanju Samson- 640 runs @ 33.68, SR- 145.12
• Jos Buttler- 530 runs @ 59.22, SR- 148.05
• Suryakumar Yadav- 472 runs @ 47.22, SR- 151.76
• Rohit Sharma- 467 runs @ 18.68, SR- 128.29
• Ajinkya Rahane- 409 runs @ 31.46, SR- 116.85