Mumbai:
Rajasthan Royals chose to bowl against Mumbai Indians, who welcomed Rohit Sharma back as the skipper. Quinton de Kock blasted 81 and shared a magnificent opening stand with Rohit Sharma. However, Rajasthan Royals fought back in the middle overs with some wonderful bowling and Jofra Archer was the pick of the bowlers, taking wickets at regular intervals. However, Hardik Pandya blasted a quick cameo to boost Mumbai Indians towards a competitive total. In response, Jos Buttler and Ajinkya Rahane started well and Buttler, in particular, was severe on Alzarri Joseph as he hammered him for 28 runs to blast 89 off 43 balls. Mumbai Indians fought back towards the end with some wickets but Shreyas Gopal scored the winning runs to give Rajasthan Royals a tense four-wicket win with three balls to spare. (SCORECARD)
19:49 hrs IST: A dropped catch off the first ball and Shreyas Gopal makes the most of it as Rajasthan Royals sneak past Mumbai Indians by four wickets with three balls to spare in a match which Rajasthan conspired to make it into a thriller.
19:40 hrs IST: Hardik Pandya will bowl the final over and Rajasthan need 6 off 6.
19:37 hrs IST: Mumbai Indians have lost a review as Bumrah appeals for an LBW. Alzarri Jospeh stops a boundary but hurts his shoulder badly in the process. Gopal upper-cuts a short ball to the third man fence for a boundary.
19:34 hrs IST: What a turnaround. Liam Livingstone and Sanju Samson are snapped up by Krunal Pandya while Jasprit Bumrah gets rid of Steve Smith.
19:26 hrs IST: Rahul Tripathi falls and Krunal Pandya gets the big wicket. Rajasthan Royals need 17 off 17 balls and Mumbai Indians are back in the game.
19:23 hrs IST: Sanju Samson has been trapped LBW by Jasprit Bumrah and he looks to review. The ball is just clipping the leg stump. Mumbai Indians are somehow in the game.
19:17 hrs IST: Two fours conceded by Krunal Pandya and Mumbai Indians continue to leak runs. This has been a magnificent performanc from Rajasthan Royals.
19:07 hrs IST: Buttler misses out on a ton and he miscues a lofted shot staright to long off. Ends a brilliant innings from the Englishman.
19:01 hrs IST: Buttler is on fire. He blasts a six and then four boundaries off Alzarri Joseph as he nears a century. This is absolute carnage from the Englishman and Rajasthan Royals near a win.
18:50 hrs IST: Jos Buttler's brilliant hitting has fetched him a magnificent fifty. Rajasthan Royals are in the hunt and on course to chase this total down.
18:43 hrs IST: Krunal Pandya and Rahul Chahar get targeted by Buttler as he launches them straight down the ground for sixes. Superb exhibition of hitting.
18:37 hrs IST: The time-out has worked for Mumbai Indians. Krunal Pandya floats a full ball on middle and leg stump and Rahane plays the sweep shot as he holes out to Suryakumar Yadav at deep square leg.
18:31 hrs IST: Two more fours by Rahane and Buttler off Jasprit Bumrah and Rajasthan Royals are scoring at a rate of close to 10 per over.
18:27 hrs IST: Rahane hammers a six and a four off Alzarri Joseph and the Rajasthan Royals slipper shows his good form against Mumbai Indians.
18:22 hrs IST: Mumbai Indians opt for a review against Jos Buttler as he attempts the reverse sweep against Rahul Chahar but misses. The impact is umpire's call and since it was not out, the decision will stay.
18:15 hrs IST: Rajasthan Royals have begun brilliantly. Rahane smashes a couple of boundaries while Buttler blasts a couple of fours off Alzarri Joseph as well as a six from Behrendorff.
18:06 hrs IST: Rahane is trapped LBW by Jason Behrendorff and the umpire gives it out. Rajasthan Royals review and the ball is missing the stumps. Good review from Rajasthan Royals and after the first over, they are 4/0.
17:49 hrs IST: Mumbai Indians have been boosted by a cameo from Hardik Pandya as they end on 187/5 against Rajasthan Royals. This will be a tricky total to chase.
17:40 hrs IST: De Kock falls for a brilliant 81 and it takes a great catch from Jos Buttler to end his knock. Hardik Pandya continues on his merry ways with a six off the last ball.
17:35 hrs IST: Hardik Pandya blasts a six off Dhawal Kulkarni and de Kock continues to flay the bowling. Can Mumbai Indians go past 170? This has been a great fightback from Rajasthan Royals.
17:26 hrs IST: Kieron Pollard's struggles have ended. He was just not himself today. Jofra Archer bowls a slightly short of a length ball and Pollard miscues the slog and is caught at midwicket by Shreyas Gopal.
17:21 hrs IST: Pollard is struggling to find the boundary while Quinton de Kock finds the boundary. Rajasthan Royals are pulling things back slightly.
17:16 hrs IST: Kieron Pollard and Quinton de Kock are at the crease but Rajasthan Royals are keeping things tight. However, the last five overs will be crucial. Can Mumbai Indians reach 200?
17:07 hrs IST: Yes they can. Suryakumar gives himself some room and looks to cut a shortish ball that zips through on off stump, he misses and the ball taps the off bail and it falls off.
17:04 hrs IST: Suryakumar Yadav blasts a six off Shreyas Gopal and the runs continue to flow for Mumbai Indians. Can Rajasthan Royals stem the flow of runs?
16:58 hrs IST: 8th IPL fifty for Quinton de Kock. He continues his great form and this is not only good news for Mumbai Indians but also for South Africa.
16:53 hrs IST: WICKET! Finally, a wicket for Rajasthan Royals. Jofra Archer bowls a good length ball and Rohit Sharma mistimes the lofted shot to be caught at long on by Jos Buttler.
16:48 hrs IST: It is now neck-and-neck between Rohit and Quinton de Kock as to who will reach fifty first. Rohit gets closer by hammering two fours off Krishnappa Gowtham
16:44 hrs IST: Quinton de Kock is nearing a fifty and Rohit Sharma is boosting Mumbai Indians with a wonderful opening stand. Rajasthan Royals need a wicket.
16:35 hrs IST: Shreyas Gopal begins well and concedes just two runs. Liam Livingstone is into thre attack now and he is getting some grip and turn.
16:26 hrs IST: De Kock and Rohit bring up the 50-run opening stand off just 26 balls and Rajasthan Royals are running out of ideas.
16:21 hrs IST: Rohit Sharma is in the groove now and he slams three fours in one over bowled by Kulkarni. Mumbai Indians are beginning to dictate terms to the opposition now.
16:16 hrs IST: Quinton de Kock blasts a six straight down the ground and hammers a four straight down the ground while Rohit sweeps Gowtham to the long leg fence.
16:14 hrs IST: Dhawal Kulkarni starts well and concedes just four runs. Good line and lengths bowled by Kulkarni, a Mumbai lad.
16:08 hrs IST: First over is bowled by Krishnappa Gowtham and he starts well, conceding just five runs in his first over.
16:00 hrs IST: Mumbai Indians become the first team to play 200 T20s, beating the record set by Somerset who had played 199 matches.
15:52 hrs IST: From scoring 350 in a one-day game to IPL debut, here is the story of Liam Livingstone. All the best for his game today.
15:44 hrs IST: Here are the playing XIs of both the sides
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma(c), Quinton de Kock(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Alzarri Joseph, Rahul Chahar, Jason Behrendorff, Jasprit Bumrah
Rajasthan Royals: Ajinkya Rahane(c), Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson(w), Steven Smith, Rahul Tripathi, Liam Livingstone, Krishnappa Gowtham, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal, Jaydev Unadkat, Dhawal Kulkarni
15:35 hrs IST: Rajasthan Royals have chosen to bowl against Mumbai Indians. Rohit Sharma is back as skipper of the three-time champions while for Rajasthan Royals, Ben Stokes is out and Liam Livingstone makes his IPL debut.
15:19 hrs IST: Ajinkya Rahane has a great record against Mumbai Indians, averaging 40. Can he step up and lead from the front?
15:10 hrs IST: Can Rajasthan Royals bounce back? However, it will not be easy in the Wankhede fortress, having not won regularly at the venue. In fact, they have suffered more heartbreak at the Wankhede than in any other place.
15:02 hrs IST: Rajasthan Royals suffered heartbreak in the game against Chennai Super Kings, a match overshadowed by the ugly confrontation MS Dhoni had with the umpires.
14:51 hrs IST: Kieron Pollard stepped up as captain for the game against Kings XI Punjab and blasted 83 off 31 balls. Would not be a bad idea to make him the captain for this match as well.
14:42 hrs IST: Mumbai Indians will be gunning for their fourth straight win and move to second spot in the points table. However, Rajasthan Royals will stay in the hunt for the knock-outs if they win against Mumbai Indians but a loss will potentially dump them out of the race.
14:36 hrs IST: A warm welcome to the match between Mumbai Indians and the Rajasthan Royals from the Wankhede stadium. Mumbai Indians are on a roll while their opponents are on a downward spiral. To add to that, Rohit Sharma is also potentially back to boost the three-time champions.
