MI vs RR, IPL 2023: Tim David’s late blitz helps Mumbai Indians over the line against Jaiswal-powered Rajasthan Royals

MI vs RR, IPL 2023: Tim David stamped his class as he hammered three sixes off Jason Holder’s final over as Mumbai Indians clinched a spectacular six-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals

Mumbai Indians Tim David and Tilak Varma celebrate after winning the IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday. | Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI/The Hindu

It’s not for nothing that Tim David is considered one of the most destructive batters in white ball cricket! The Australian international once again stamped his class as he hammered three sixes off Jason Holder’s final over as Mumbai Indians clinched a spectacular six-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals in the 1000th fixture of the Indian Premier League.

After Yashasvi Jaiswal’s maiden IPL century (124, 62b, 16x4, 8x6) guided Rajasthan Royals to 212 for 7, Mumbai Indians needed 17 runs in the last over. But David, playing an unreal cameo of 45 off 14 balls (2x4, 5x6), hit three consecutive sixes off Holder to present a fitting birthday gift to Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma, who turned 36 on Sunday.

Coming in at a time when MI was in a tricky situation after having lost Suryakumar Yadav (55, 29b, 8x4, 2x6) and the target still 61 runs away, David banked on his experience to hammer five sixes in total to forge a match-winning unbeaten 62-run partnership with Tilak Varma.

With some clean hits, David helped MI climb to the seventh spot, while Royals slipped to third in the points table.

Chasing a tall total, MI lost captain Rohit early, and the team looked helpless in the first ten overs, with Ravichandran Ashwin tightening the noose. However, Suryakumar turned the tide with a 20-run over off Impact Player Kuldeep Sen. While that set the tone, Royals did try to pull things back after an incredible running catch by Sandeep Sharma sent Suryakumar packing.

But keeping his cool, David stepped up and finished things in style. While Mumbai players celebrated the success, it was heartbreak for Royals and especially Jaiswal, who dominated the first half.

Batting first, Jaiswal and Jos Buttler put together a 72-run opening stand as Jofra Archer, returning to action after a while, blew hot and cold in the first spell. While 25 runs came through extras and Buttler was off to a slow start, Jaiswal ensured that Royals were on course for a big total before Piyush Chawla (2 for 34) made batting tricky.

Chawla earned a breakthrough, removing Buttler and Royals lost two more wickets in the form of Sanju Samson and Devdutt Padikkal, but Jaiswal pushed Royals’ score beyond 200. He hit a flurry of boundaries in the last three overs, but eventually, his efforts went in vain.