Rajasthan Royals (RR) extended their winning momentum in the IPL, beating Mumbai Indians (MI) by 27 runs in a rain-affected match on Tuesday. MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene admitted his side did not carry out their intended plans, pointing to missed areas in their bowling and RR’s ability to make the most of the conditions in a shortened contest.
Jayawardene on MI’s execution and RR’s intent
Jayawardene said MI had a strategy but failed to implement it, stressing that the gap between the teams was narrow. He highlighted that RR were well prepared for the threat posed by rain-shortened cricket, where the batting side often gets license to attack early. He also credited RR for making the most of the opportunity, while MI fell short on their lengths and line.
“We had some plans, but I don’t think we executed those. The margins are very small. These guys are practising really well. We knew the danger, especially when it is rain-curtailed, and they have the license to go up front. I think we missed our line and lengths, and they played really well,” Jayawardene said.
RR set the target in 11 overs
Asked to bat first, RR posted 150/3 off 11 overs. Yashasvi Jaiswal played the anchor role while accelerating when needed, smashing 77 not out from 32 balls, including 10 fours and four sixes. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi provided the finishing bursts as well, striking 39 off 14 balls with a four and five maximums, as MI bowlers struggled to contain the scoring.
MI’s chase derailed as wickets kept falling
In the chase, MI were unable to establish the correct tempo and lost wickets at regular intervals. Nandre Burger led the wicket-taking effort with 2/21, while Sandeep Sharma and Ravi Bishnoi also made crucial breakthroughs, taking 2/25 and 2/26 respectively. Despite the chase being set in a reduced format, MI could not build the kind of sustained partnerships required to close the gap.
Early damage left MI playing catch-up
MI’s innings got off to a difficult start as they lost key batters early. Ryan Rickelton was dismissed for 8 after being sent back by Jofra Archer, Suryakumar Yadav fell for 6 to Nandre Burger, and Rohit Sharma was out for five after Sandeep Sharma struck. With those setbacks, MI slipped to 22/3 in 4.3 overs.
Jayawardene believed the early wickets disrupted MI’s momentum. He felt that even though they required only a couple of meaningful partnerships, the team ultimately fell short at the finish, with the difference coming down to boundaries.
“The difference was four sixes”
Jayawardene said MI lost momentum soon after the early dismissals and were unable to find the rhythm needed to shift gears at the end. He pointed to the scoring margin, explaining that the match swung on the number of sixes the team managed to hit.
“We just needed a couple of partnerships. We lost a few early wickets and lost the momentum. If you look at the end, the difference was four sixes. It was four hits for us, [but] we just couldn’t find that,” Jayawardene said.
He added that MI never felt the chase was completely out of reach, but the lack of a quick start—such as one batter taking control with a fast 30 or 40—made it harder to accelerate at the right moment. According to Jayawardene, those were the fine margins that separated the sides.
“And that without us getting into a rhythm or someone getting a quick 30 or 40 up top. We never thought that it was out of our reach. So, those were the margins. I think they played a really good game today. We were not good enough, and that’s what we have to work on,” Jayawardene said.
RR’s bowling and batting impact was decisive, with Burger, Sandeep Sharma and Bishnoi doing the damage while Jaiswal and Sooryavanshi powered the innings. The win gave Rajasthan a third consecutive triumph in the IPL 2026 so far.
