Riyan Parag dropped another mature performance as Rajasthan Royals downed Mumbai Indians by six wickets in a low-scoring thriller in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Monday.
Parag seems to have taken his game to a new level as he again showed how vital he is to the way RR plans out their games. Coming in at four-down, the Assam-born lad found himself in a similar situation with RR top-order failing. He had to anchor the innings, while also ensuring that the scoring rate, a low one, did not go past the permissible limit.
While newly uncovered jewel Yashasvi Jaiswal failed to get going again, and fellow top-order batters Jos Buttler and skipper Sanju Samson failed to score big, the onus was once again on Riyan Parag to take the match home. RR's cause was helped by a superb bowling attack which helped limit MI to a paltry score of 125.
With three wickets down for just 48 on the board, it was clear that the Wankhede pitch would not allow free-flowing batting. In stepped Parag, who initially plugged the gap to stop wickets falling. As he grew into his innings, he started playing more shots and clearing the boundary.
With the runs needed to win never a challenge, Parag took his time to settle the nerves and once he did so, there was no stopping him. Three maximums and five boundaries aided Riyan to his second half-century in the IPL this season scoring 54 runs in 39 balls, and showing everyone his talent and announcing himself for contention in the Indian setup soon.
In a dismal overall performance from the Mumbai team, Akash Madhwal stood out with three wickets in his four overs giving away just 20 runs.
Earlier, a whirlwind of a bowling attack launched by Trent Boult for Rajasthan, which earned him the player of the match gong, ensured three of MI's top four batters including the dangerous Rohit Sharma were dismissed on their very first ball. Mumbai found themselves in deep trouble losing four wickets with just 20 runs on the board. Apart from Boult, Chahal stood out with three wickets in his four overs giving away just 11 runs, while Nandre Burger picked up two and Avesh Khan got one wicket.
Aided by Tilak Verma's 32 and Hardik Pandya's 34, MI managed to put together 125 runs handing them something to fight for. However, Riyan Parag ensured that Rajasthan kept up their winning ways, clinching the match with 27 balls left.
