There was quite a storm brewing in Guwahati on Tuesday, April 7 as Rajasthan Royals looked for their early momentum against the mighty Mumbai Indians. And no, this wasn’t about the weather trying to spoil the Barsapara party, this was always about the bat encounter.
Once the game got underway, real chaos arrived between the bats Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in an 11 over shootout. It felt like loading Contra in two-player mode, where the only plan is simple, shoot until the other side collapses. That’s exactly the atmosphere RR brought to the center from ball one.
RR vs MI, IPL 2026: Scorecard | Highlighting
But when MI came out to bat, it was like someone forgot to plug in the remote. Shots were few and far between, intent even less and RR just ran away with it like seasoned pros against a side still struggling to find the power button. While the RR openers showed anger, the MI batters could never make a mark. (Photo: Reuters)
So, what was the defining moment? If you’re new here, at India Today we don’t just stick to the scoresheet. With the IPL Play of the Day, we pick one passage where the game quietly turns and never really comes back.
Now yes, you can easily go with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi taking apart Jasprit Bumrah. This is the highlight, everyone will play the clip. But like any good game, the real twist wasn’t just one big moment. It was an approach. One side went into full Contra mode, guns blazing. The other one looked like the controller didn’t work at all.
WATCH HOW VAIBHAV WELCOMED BUMRAH:
RR GO INTO TURBO MODE, MI STALLS IN NEUTRAL
Yashasvi Jaiswal, who finished unbeaten on 77, set the tone as if someone had smashed the fire button from the first frame. 22 run out by Deepak Chahar and suddenly RR were halfway level before MI could react. Sooryavanshi joined in from the other end and even Bumrah had to smile after being bowled for two sixes by the 15-year-old who had clearly come to play, not take a break.
The over lasted just 3.2 overs but RR had already amassed 58 in the first 18 balls. From there it was pure turbo mode. 150 runs in 11 overs and almost every over had a boundary or a maximum. No pauses, no slow levels, just constant attack.
The intention was crystal clear. No respect for reputation, no time to settle. Just see the ball, hit the ball.
However, Mumbai looked like they were still figuring out the controls.
In the abbreviated chase, the scenario is simple. Go hard or go home. But from the very beginning, MI seemed to be between caution and chaos. Ryan Rickelton poked around. Rohit Sharma tried to go for the big one but failed to connect cleanly. One six came and then the game just slipped into a pattern that RR had already broken.
Wickets kept falling and every time MI tried to push forward they were pulled back. Suryakumar Yadav in the sixth round was a brief boost but did not last. Rohit fell, Tilak Varma couldn’t get going and Hardik Pandya never found the finishing touches.
It was unusually subdued for a batting line-up full of T20 World Cup winners. Like a team that forgot this isn’t a game where you can take your time.
By the time MI tried to shift, the game was over.
Hardik kept it straight after the match.
“I’m not going to put this match on the bat. We lost it by 27 runs which means 5 good balls and it would have been different. If we had bowled the right balls we would have been in the game. Their openers started well. And we played catch up,” he said.
And there it circles back. RR not only started well but played like a team that knew this was a sprint. MI played like they had overs to spare.
It’s easy with RR. Their openers are in ridiculous touch and are playing fearless cricket. It may be time for MI to rethink the approach at the top.
Because the names are still big, the reputation is still strong. On paper, MI are always contenders.
But on this rainy night in Guwahati, I felt like RR were playing to their full potential while MI was stuck waiting for the game to load.
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– The end
Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
08 Apr 2026 07:58 IST
