IPL 2023: Mumbai's fearless approach could be key in playoff battle

With 18 runs required in the last over Mumbai Indians had put themselves in a position to make history and chase down Rajasthan Royals' total of 212, something no team had ever done at the Wankhede Stadium.

But the former five-time champions made sure that they would be the first team to achieve the feat thanks to an explosive display of power-hitting by all-rounder Tim David who slammed three consecutive sixes off Jason Holder to secure a six-wicket win for the hosts.

Despite the defeat Rajasthan skipper Sanju Samson remained positive and said that the side would continue to play fearless cricket and not worry about areas that they could not control.

Here are five highlights of a match that produced several spectacular knocks.

Taking on the bowling

Mumbai began the chase with a clear plan to stay within the run rate and to keep increasing the momentum as the innings progressed. After Ishan Kishan (28 from 23) set the foundation, Cameron Green (44 from 26) and Suryakuymar Yadav (55 from 29) took charge of the middle overs and kept the scoreboard moving along.

You could see the positive attitude that the Mumbai batsmen brought to the crease as they fed off the energy from a boisterous crowd of close to 30,000 fans.

They had a don’t look back approach in place as they focused on the huge task on hand and took the game away from the Royals.

Acceleration at the right time

Even though the plan was working Mumbai needed something special and it was Tim David who delivered what was a match-winning innings of 45 not out of just 14 deliveries. More importantly, David, who had the very promising Tilak Varma (29 not out from 12) for company in the death, got on top of the bowling and asserted himself with some of the biggest sixes ever seen at the Wankhade.

In the end, it was the finishing ability of the big man that made the difference between winning and losing and has kept Mumbai’s hopes of qualifying for the playoffs alive.

Huge moment

Catches win matches is the old saying in cricket and Sandreep Sharma took a blinder to dismiss a set Suryakumar Yadav (55 from 29) at a pivotal stage in the game. SKY attempted to scoop a Trent Boult delivery towards the fine-leg region but did not connect with the meat of the bat resulting in the thick edge which appeared to be heading towards no man’s land. But Sharma sprinted from his position at short leg, covered 19 metres running behind him to pull off a stunning catch, arguably the best seen at this year’s IPL.

It left Mumbai needing 61 runs in 26 balls.

The enormity of Jaiswal’s ton

Not every century evokes a song but Yashasvi Jaiswal had Mumbai’s bowlers dancing to his tune with his epic knock of 124 (16 4s, 8 6s). The 21-year-old is fast becoming the leading batter in this year’s IPL and he showed just why. His ability to construct his innings even as he saw wickets fall at regular intervals at the other end was what stood out.

Possessing extraordinary skills to maneuver his shots and find the gaps Jaiswal eschewed a risk-free approach as opposed to a fortune favours the brave attitude. How else can you explain the mind-blowing sixes and boundaries that he stuck on two of Mumbai’s most successful bowlers, Arshad Khan, (3 for 38) and Piyush Chawla (2 for 34).

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