wrong 'un, Faulkner hits it to the covers off the back foot, they go for the run, there is an appeal for a run-out at the bowler's end, really tight this one, third umpire decides that Faulkner has just made it as the bail comes off
MI vs RR, 9th match at Ahmedabad, IPL, Apr 14 2015 - Ball by Ball Commentary
RR won by 7 wickets (with 5 balls remaining)
That is all from this game for now. Good night
Steven Smith is the Man of the Match and also gets the Orange Cap. Smith: "I am doing it consistently now, moving across my stumps, it is working, no need to change it. We were trying to keep it around ten an over or under that, managed to do it for quite a while."
Rohit Sharma: "We did not start well with the bat, poor performance with the bat, thanks to Corey and Polly for bringing us back in the game. I think it was a decent score, not a great one but something to bowl at. Royals batted well. We have some work to do. We have to take responsibility with bat and be a little disciplined with ball. Aaron Finch does not look good right now. He will take a scan tomorrow."
Steven Smith leads Royals to three wins in three, while Mumbai Indians have suffered their third defeat in as many games. Their batting has been up and down, and the bowling has not been able to create any pressure. Super innings from captain Smith, stepped up against the opposition's best bowler at the end there.
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yaniv: "Don't understand Rohit's tactics here. If you've decided not to bowl a bowler (Vinay) at the end, why don't use his quota completely in the beginning when he is containing the runs."
LM: "I think Mumbai lost to poor captaincy today. This score was defendable. Wrong choice of bowlers at wrong time"
Siddharth: "MI are notoriously slow starters in pretty much every IPL (2014 being the most classic case of all). At the same time, given the way RR's results went into free fall after they had won 5 of their first 7 games last year, I wouldn't read much into the points table the way it is now (except maybe the fact that CSK will continue to linger at or close to the top)."
another one, makes slight room, bends the legs a bit, arches back a bit, and crashes another drive between extra cover and mid off
cannot get this full delivery past the bowler, who throws it back to the keeper and makes Smith hurry back into his crease
drives a length ball on the up, but straight to mid off
works a slower short of a length ball behind square leg, takes the Orange Cap too with this couple
outstanding shot, down the track, moving inside the line, and dismissing a length ball between extra cover and mid off with total authority
slower length ball nudged to square leg
Smith all but seals it with another of his ridiculously well-timed checked pick-up shots over midwicket, that is some way into the crowd, moves across early, stands on off, and takes it from around middle and leg
connects with this full toss but not well enough to deny Pollard running to his right from long on
misses out and is beaten as he tries to drive this full toss off the back foot
around the blockhole outside off, squeezed to long off
fullish on middle, worked through midwicket, they press for the second, make it
aka: "Now Malinga has experienced quality too ;-)."
pitched up and skidding on middle, Smith cannot get under that and drives it to long off
Rohit turns to Suyal again
slowish length ball on middle and leg, Smith calmly pushes it to long on, keeps strike
foxed by the slower one this time, was winding up but was left prodding outside off at the change of pace
four more, comes off a thick outside edge to the third man boundary as Smith throws the bat at a full one
imperious drive past extra cover to a length ball, sweeper cannot prevent the second
exquisite from Smith, he purrs to his maiden IPL fifty, feet wide apart, bending to a yorker outside off and guiding it past backward point
Smith starts the over with a quality checked pick-up over midwicket, it was quite full but he leaned back a bit to get under it, deep midwicket is vacant
concedes only a single off the free hit, Smith cannot beat extra cover as he moves across and pushes a full one, direct hit would have been tight at non-striker's end
Over 20 • RR 165/3
RR won by 7 wickets (with 5 balls remaining)