Mumbai Indians collapsed after early cheers disappoint home fans
The home fans at Wankhede Stadium had hoped for heroics from their favorite stars as Mumbai Indians kicked off their IPL 2024 campaign against Rajasthan Royals. However, it wasn't meant to be as MI batted collapsed and failed to defend a modest total.
Rohit Sharma and captain Hardik Pandya got loud cheers from the crowd when they walked out to bat. However, the fans were left disappointed very soon. Trent Boult struck twice in the first over, removing Rohit and Naman Dhir cheaply.
Pandya tried to lift the spirits with some big hits but perished going for a risky shot against Yuzvendra Chahal's flight. Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma also fell after brief cameos as MI slipped to 58/4. None of the batters could convert the early cheers into a big score.
Chahal was MI's tormentor, picking up 3 wickets to break their backbone. Boult and Nandre Burger also chipped in with three wickets between them. MI could only put up a below par 125 despite 20 overs.
In response, Rajasthan Royals got off to a steady start with Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal rotating the strike regularly. Riyan Parag then anchored the chase with a composed 54 to take his team past the target with six wickets in hand and 15 balls to spare.
Despite early promises, Mumbai Indians collectively combusted with both bat and ball to disappoint their home fans at Wankhede Stadium with a lacklustre performance. It was a result that none of the supporters had anticipated after coming to cheer their favorite stars on the opening day.
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