Rohit Sharma's Mumbai Indians and Sanju Samson's Rajasthan Royals lock horns in a bid to go one up in the race to the top four. Crunch time!
You'll find ball-by-ball commentary here in English, and here in Hindi. If you're in the USA, you can watch this game on ESPN+ in English, as well as in Hindi.
Kishan and Mumbai look familiar again
Caveat: This was one the of flattest performances you'll see in the IPL by Rajasthan Royals.
Ishan Kishan couldn't have asked for a more friendly welcome to the XI than the one meted out to him tonight by the Royals. There was no scoreboard pressure whatsoever on him, his team had given him the license to go and find form, and he has had a nice little hit here. Brought up his fifty with a six to cap it all off. Mumbai brought him and Neesham in to try and change this around and, more importantly, stay in the tournament with a real chance. It has all worked out perfectly.
At the presentation Sanju Samson says the change in pitch really affected them - and also that it was much harder to bat in the first innings - as they came to Sharjah for the first time. Can't really blame the batters, he adds, although that might just be a captain sticking up for his team in public. In reality, they were the ones coming into this match with the advantage, and with a lot more to lose. The batting didn't reflect that at all. It is not down to calculations for them again. They need to win against KKR to stay in contention. A loss in that game all but confirms KKR a playoff spot because of their net run rate. Mumbai will have to do big things in terms of margin to make the playoffs.
That is all from the Live Report today. Catch you again soon.
Hardik at 4
They're getting one team out of the way in the race to the playoffs, and Mumbai seem to have decided that they might as well try and do it at pace while they're at it. In their favour is how little the Royals look like they're in this game. It has been some capitulation from them tonight, not an ounce of trying since the early part of their batting innings.
Rohit becomes the first Indian in the 400 club
Royals not so much in control anymore
We began the Live Report talking about Royals faced with a straightforward task and their progression entirely in their hands - that won't be the case for too long it appears. Unless this REALLY is a pitch issue, you can back Mumbai to get the two points tonight. Mumbai figured out and adjusted to this pitch so swiftly - the Royals never did - after it looked like Lewis and Jaiswal had found their gears once more. They managed to string together 79 balls with no boundaries. In a T20 game. I don't know for sure if that's a record, but I don't see how it isn't. We have some people looking into it. Completely meek surrender by the Royals, it's been the complete other extreme to what they did in their last match. It's also given Mumbai a chance at increasing that run-rate, although being explosive enough to come anywhere close to KKR's net run-rate on this pitch is near-impossible.
Poll time
Half a T20 innings since the last boundary
Okay, I could have waited one more ball to take this screenshot and accurately make my point, but the pressure cooker was going off. #WFHWoes
The 33 runs Royals made in the middle overs (6.1 to 16) is the second-lowest return for the middle-overs in IPL history. (min. 60 balls). The lowest return in that phase was by KXIP vs CSK in 2009, when they got 32.
Jimmy Neesham delivers in a must-win game for #MIhttps://t.co/x0hYho9715 | #RRvMI | #IPL2021 pic.twitter.com/3IaZ6Sc3wm
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) October 5, 2021
First time in Sharjah
Rajasthan Royals are the last team to play in Sharjah during this second half. And it's sort of showing, isn't it? Particularly after the free-flowing highs of their last game, when they made a mockery in of their 190-chase against Super Kings. Mumbai have employed two strategies, short of a length and into the body, or good length and wide of the left-hander. Dube and Lewis don't particularly move their feet for deliveries that are wide of them outside off so it was on the cards. And Dube's wicket is the payoff for that strategy.
Into the body has worked for both Phillips and Lewis, who were looking to pull like they were playing on more true pitches. This has not been a great assessment of the conditions from the Royals' batters at all.
James Neesham and Nathan Coulter-Nile have combined figures of 4-0-11-4 right now. #RRvsMI
— Saurabh Somani (@saurabh_42) October 5, 2021
Mumbai's quick adjustment
Between 1.2 and 2.1, Rajasthan Royals picked up 18 runs off boundaries. Common to all of them was the length - full and in the driving arc. Bumrah's first ball was driven past mid-off, and since then Mumbai have not bowled a single driving length ball. They've gone just short of a good length, and both left- and right-arm bowlers have gone around the wicket to cramp the batters for room. The two boundaries since have been an outside edge and one short ball put away - but in the bargain, they have two wickets.
What do you think?
Kishan returns
This is a big move from Mumbai Indians, but perhaps a realistic way of letting Ishan Kishan find his form again. While he did well at No. 4 last season, he has spent most of his T20 career batting in the top three. you might wonder why he didn't replace Saurabh Tiwary, who had taken his place, but it's pretty evident that Mumbai want him batting against a harder ball, with fielding restrictions to bring some confidence back. It might be a good move for this particular player on this new-look Sharjah pitch that makes it hard to start against spin later on.
It might seem a little harsh on Quinton de Kock, and it is unlucky on his part: the one part Mumbai needed to fortify is their middle-order, and going back to Kishan in there was not an option they could gamble on once again. Jimmy Neesham will provide greater batting strength than Krunal Pandya.
Couple of changes for both teams:#MI: Kishan comes back for QDK, Neesham replaces Krunal#RR: Kuldip Yadav to debut, Shreyas Gopal comes in for Mayank Markandehttps://t.co/x0hYhoqIpF | #RRvMI | #IPL2021 pic.twitter.com/Bf6oiW60hk
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) October 5, 2021
Qualification chances
Rajesh S does the crunching for us -
If Royals beat Mumbai, they will join Knight Riders on 12 points, and the Royals-Knight Riders game on Thursday will then be a shootout to decide fourth place - the winner will qualify and the loser will be out.
If Mumbai beat Royals, then Mumbai's chances of qualification will obviously improve. They will qualify for sure if they beat Sunrisers in their last game, and if Royals beat Knight Riders. However, if Knight Riders beat Royals, Mumbai will almost certainly be knocked out because of their poor net run rate.
If Mumbai beat Royals but lose to Sunrisers, and if Royals beat Knight Riders, then three teams will be tied on 12. Punjab Kings would join them too if they beat Chennai Super Kings. In that case, again, Knight Riders' superior NRR should see them through.
Master of my fate
I don't know if there's ever time to look to poetry when you're in the IPL, but Rajasthan Royals can now selectively channel Invictus. Not that haven't been unconquerable or anything, but they are now very much the masters of their fate in this playoffs race. It's simple now - Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders are the teams who stand in their way, and they also happen to be their next two opponents. Beat them both, and it's a first playoff slot since 2018. Lose to Mumbai tonight and they might have to throw the poetry book out and lean more spiritually.
Of course, no one has channeled narratives of being unconquerable as much as Mumbai have over the years. But there is the feeling of a diminishing force from them at the moment. The batting has not shown up, the certainty of their line-up is suddenly looking rigid rather than assuring, and the cruel truth for them is this: even two wins out of two from here guarantees nothing. Will that be what frees them up? We'll see.