Mumbai Indians thrashed Rajasthan Royals by 100 runs and stormed to the top of the IPL points table.
| Photo Credit: ANI

 Amidst a sea of pink, it was all blue as Mumbai Indians thrashed a hapless Rajasthan Royals by 100 runs and stormed to the top of the IPL points table after their clash at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here on Thursday.

In response to MI’s 217 for two, Royals were jolted early when teen sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi, the record-breaker in the previous game, was dismissed for a duck in the first over.

Yashasvi Jaiswal showed aggression, launching two sixes off Trent Boult, but his cameo ended when he was castled in the same over. Nitish Rana fell soon after, mistiming a short ball from Boult.

The introduction of Jasprit Bumrah in the fifth over dented Royals further.

The pacer struck twice off two deliveries, removing Riyan Parag and Shimron Hetmyer, as the hosts slumped to 47 for five inside the PowerPlay.

Hardik Pandya dismissed Shubham Dubey off his first delivery with a well-directed short ball.

Mumbai’s Impact Player Karn Sharma delivered more blows, removing Dhruv Jurel, Maheesh Theekshana and Kumar Kartikeya in quick succession.

Wrapping it up

Boult returned to wrap things up, dismissing Jofra Archer as Royals were bowled out for 117 to seal a 100-run win for MI.

Earlier, Mumbai Indians’ innings began on a cautious note before Ryan Rickelton broke free, hitting Fazalhaq Farooqi for a six and a boundary.

Rohit Sharma joined the act in the fifth over as the pair plundered 18 runs to shift the momentum in Mumbai’s favour.

The duo expertly pierced the field, particularly targeting left-arm spinner Kartikeya.

Cruising along

Rohit struck two boundaries, while Rickelton brought up a stylish half-century with a massive six over midwicket. By the halfway stage, Mumbai had cruised to 116 without loss, completely in control.

The opening partnership was eventually broken against the run of play when Rickelton was bowled by Theekshana. Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik continued where the openers left off, wading into Farooqi and smashed three boundaries.

In the 18th over, Hardik took on Farooqi, hammering 21 runs with three boundaries and a massive six over backward-point. Suryakumar finished the innings with a six over long-on.

Royals never recovered from the hammering.

NEW DELHI: Rohit Sharma lit up the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur — not just with his bat, but with his reaction — after a dramatic moment during the Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals IPL 2025 clash on Thursday.
In the second over of the match, Rohit was given out LBW off Fazalhaq Farooqi, only for the Decision Review System (DRS) to flip the script at the very last second.
The incident happened on the fifth ball of the second over.
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Farooqi bowled a slower one that drifted into the pads. Rohit, completely outfoxed by the pace, missed his shot and was hit on the back leg.
It looked plumb in real time, and the umpire raised his finger immediately. Rohit looked uncertain but decided to review the decision with just a second left on the DRS timer.
To everyone’s surprise, the ball-tracking replay showed the delivery pitched just outside the leg stump.
The decision was reversed, and Rohit burst into laughter — his reaction perfectly captured by cameras and quickly going viral on social media.
It was a moment of comic relief in a high-stakes game, and fans couldn’t get enough of it.
At the toss earlier, Rajasthan Royals’ stand-in skipper Riyan Parag had opted to bowl first, citing potential dew later in the evening.
Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya said he would’ve bowled first too but remained confident in his side’s approach and form.
Mumbai came into the match riding high with five consecutive wins and sitting third on the table, while RR struggled in eighth place with only three wins from ten games.
In a tournament filled with intensity, it’s these little moments, like Rohit’s laugh, that bring joy to cricket lovers everywhere.

Muddled season: CSK’s pattern of defeats was almost painfully identical.
| Photo Credit: Sportzpics/ipl

When a team sets a high bar, there is an unshakable trust in the blueprint as it has worked time and time again.

However, there comes a phase when the rivals catch up and the much-celebrated champion finds itself stuck in the past. For Chennai Super Kings, that moment has arrived as it failed to progress to the IPL playoffs for the second consecutive year.

The four-wicket defeat to Punjab Kings on Wednesday was the nadir for the five-time champion, which slumped to its eighth reverse in 10 games and crashed out of the tournament well before the end of the league stage.

The loss against Kings was Super Kings’ fifth successive one at home (MAC Stadium), where it hardly used to face setbacks.

The abysmal performance can be traced back to the auction when the think-tank failed to assemble a batting unit that was in tune with the demands of modern-day T20 cricket, where the ability to tee off from the get-go is paramount.

The pattern of defeats was almost painfully identical; the top-order failed to maximise the PowerPlay while setting or chasing a total, leaving the rest to play catch-up.

That the Yellow Brigade hit only six maximums in the PowerPlay in 2025 — young Vaibhav Suryavanshi managed it in just one innings in the first six overs against Gujarat Titans — reflected how sluggish the starts were.

CSK has often extracted the best out of players who might not have done well at other franchises. The strong belief in that philosophy probably dictated its strategy to pick an Indian batting core.

Unfortunately, the decision to pin hopes on Rahul Tripathi, Vijay Shankar, and Deepak Hooda backfired. The lack of form from its overseas batting options, Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway, and the waning powers of Ravindra Jadeja and M.S. Dhoni made it a perfect storm.

Rigid and predictable

Ruturaj Gaikwad and Dhoni’s captaincy looked rigid and predictable.

The management’s reluctance to back youth, unlike other teams, showed the archaic mindset. Only when pushed to a corner did they try out youngsters like Shaik Rasheed, Ayush Mhatre, and Dewald Brevis — the last two being injury replacements.

A rich legacy and glittering cabinet are all fine but not reading the evolving landscape is proving disastrous.

There needs to be soul-searching and tough calls if Super Kings want to prevent their recent slump turning into a prolonged rut.