IPL 2015 RR vs MI Highlights: Sensational Steve Smith Hands Mumbai Crushing Defeat
Rajasthan Royals cruised to a third victory in the IPL as they crushed Mumbai Indians by seven wickets at Ahmedabad. Steve Smith remained unbeaten on 79. Mumbai Indians got off to a disastrous start, losing their top-order but a blitzkrieg partnership between Kieron Pollard and Corey Anderson revived their fortunes. Catch all highlights here.
Rajasthan Royals cruised to a third victory in the IPL as they crushed Mumbai Indians by seven wickets at Ahmedabad. Chasing 165 to win, the Royals captain Steve Smith scripted a sensational 53-ball 79 to fashion a win for his side. He was aptly supported by Ajinkya Rahane and James Faulkner. This is Mumbai's third loss in-a-row in this year's IPL.
Earlier, Kieron Pollard and Corey Anderson stitched a 104 -run partnership in just 9 overs to revive Mumbai Indians from an early collapse. From being 3/45 in 10 overs, Mumbai surged to 164/5 after a splendid partnership between the Mumbai power-hitters.
Catch all the highlights here. (SCORECARD | FIXTURES | STANDINGS | STATISTICS)
"It's my job to get runs. Great to contribute in winning cause":Steve Smith
 "Poor performance with the bat, thanks to Corey and Polly for bringing us back in the game": Rohit Sharma
23:35 (IST): Is that out? No, he's in and that's it! Third win for Royals and third loss in a row for Mumbai Indians. Steve Smith remains unbeaten on a spectacular 53-ball 79.
23:31(IST): FOUR! Just one needed now. Smith has flattened Mumbai!
23:28 (IST): FOUR! WHAT.A.SHOT! Steve Smith smashes Malinga through covers. Nobody moved!
The great beauty of this innings by Steve Smith: when he wasn't getting boundaries, the scoreboard was moving with 1s & 2s
- Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) April 14, 2015
23:26 (IST): SIX! UP, UP and AWAY! Steve Smith launches Suyal into the stand!
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23:20 (IST): FOUR more! Third boundary of the over. Malinga suffering in Smith's hands. RR 141/3 after 17 overs
23:19 (IST): FOUR! Scorched through point and that gets Steve Smith his first IPL fifty!
23:17 (IST): FOUR! Yorker but put away over cow corner! Unbelievable shot from Smith!
23:15 (IST): No-ball, Free-hit and another No-Ball! Suyal really messed it up there!
23:13 (IST): FOUR! Outside edge from Smith, flies to the third man fence.
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23:07 (IST): BOWLED! The Slinga strikes! Malinga uproots Hooda's (13) stumps with a deadly yorker. RR 113/3 after 14.5 overs
23:04 (IST): This is a dangerous partnership for Mumbai Indians. Smith has the experience and Hooda has the license to go for everything. Mumbai need a couple of wickets, now.
23:00 (IST): SIX more! Over long on this time. This kid can hit, we all know what he did to the Daredevils.
22:59 (IST): SIX! Hooda comes in and BAM! Slams Gopal into the boundary!
22:56 (IST): OUT! Just what Mumbai needed. Rahane (46) goes inside-out and finds Anderson at long-off. Gopal with the breakthrough. RR 92/2 (13.1 overs)
22:53 (IST): FOUR! Beautifully driven by Smith. Good over from Suchith spoiled.
#RajasthanRoyals pacing this well here but who is the Pollard in their ranks? Faulkner? On a slowish pitch? #PepsiIPL
- Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) April 14, 2015
22:48 (IST): Dropped! Rahane gets a life. Pulls Gopal to mid wicket, Chand dives forward but fails to latch on. RR 85/1 after 12 overs.
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22:44 (IST): Deft touch from Rahane. Cuts the ball late and gathers two. Doing it very professionally the Royals. Not going for the flashy shots but taking the game deep with clever placed shots.
22:34 (IST): FOUR! Short from Suchith and Rahane pulls it through the vacant mid wicket. Royals changing gears slowly.
22:31 (IST): FOUR! Short and wide from Anderson and Rahane lifts it over cover point.
22:30 (IST): 50 up for Rajasthan. The ball is holding up in the surface, not coming on. Royals need to run hard and make the singles count. Could be in for a tough chase.
22:27 (IST): Smith and Rahane working the ball in the gaps, running hard and laying a foundation for the chase. Mumbai need to cut down the singles. RR 49/1 after 7 overs.
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22:22 (IST): FOUR! Smith works Malinga through mid wicket. Just short of length and pulled in the gap. Smith the key for Royals here.
22:18 (IST): OUT! Samson (17) gets a leading edge off Vinay Kumar. Caught by Rohit at mid-off. RR 28/1 (4.3 overs)
22:16 (IST): FOUR! Played on the up by Samson. Goes over the bowlers head.
22:12 (IST): FOUR! Down the track and Rahane pulls the ball past wide mid on.
22:10 (IST): The Royals' openers taking their time and settling in. RR 15/0 after 3 overs.
22:02 (IST): FOUR of the free-hit! Samson slices it over covers.
22:01 (IST) FOUR! First boundary to Samson.
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21:39 (IST): 81 runs off the last 5 overs! MI finish with 164/5. Pollard 70, Anderson 50. That was a cracker of a partnership from the power-hitters from Mumbai.
21:38 (IST): BOWLED! Straight and cleaned up! Anderson departs.
21:37 (IST): FIFTY for Anderson. Setting up the last over alight after Pollard's departure!
21:36 (IST): OUT! Finally! Pollard (70) departs. Holes out in the deep to Nair off Soutee. MI 149/4 (19)
21:33 (IST): SIX! Sails over square leg. Pollard has taken Southee apart.
21:32 (IST): FOUR! Hit straight down the ground now. Southee derailed by Pollard.
21:31(IST): FOUR! Short and pulled away to backward square leg.
21:30 (IST): SIX! Southee carted to the mid wicket boundary by Pollard! Easy as you like.
21:29 (IST): FIFTY for Pollard off just 29 balls. This is a superb fightback from the big West Indian.
21: 26 (IST): SIX! Welcome back Tambe! Pollard goes over cow corner. Royals have no answer to this onslaught.
21:23 (IST): FOUR! Full toss and Pollard goes over mid off. Faulkner is getting carted all over the park.
21:21 (IST): FOUR! SIX! The Pollard show at Motera. Faulkner being taken to the cleaners!
21:18 (IST): FOUR more! Southee misses the yorker and Pollard flicks it to the mid-wicket fence. 50 partnership between Pollard and Anderson.
21:16 (IST): FOUR! Pitched up and Anderson clobbers that through long on. The big Kiwi is taking his national teammate on.
21:15 (IST): SIX! That one goes into the orbit! Anderson deposits Southee into the stands.
21:03 (IST): Anderson holes out in the deep but Kulkarni stepped over the line! How costly will that be? No ball and now a free-hit! MI 83/3 after 13 overs.
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21:04 (IST): SIX more! This time Anderson. Back off the hand delivery and Anderson deposits over the long off boundary. MI 74/3 after 14 overs.
21:02 (IST): SIX! Pollard goes after Faulkner. It seems that the hitters of Mumbai have decided to take the attack to the Royals.
20:59 (IST): FOUR! Bang over the bowler's head goes Anderson. Mumbai need this from their power hitters.
20:57 (IST): FOUR! Pollard lifts Morris over mid on. Not a bad delivery but good execution from the big West Indian.
20:56 (IST): FOUR! Anderson breaks the noose. Tambe livid with himself for letting the pressure off the left-hander.
20:55 (IST): The long and short of Laureus Awards in one picture - legends.
With @YaoMing and @TeglaLoroupe - wonderful meeting them at @LaureusSport #laureusawards pic.twitter.com/YFztoFVIUz
- sachin tendulkar (@sachin_rt) April 14, 2015
20:53 (IST): Chris Morris, how underrated is this man as a cricketer! Pollard and Anderson at the crease and he comes up with a top over. Royals stifling Mumbai at the Motera.
20: 48 (IST): Meanwhile in Shanghai, Sachin Tendulkar makes an appearance in the Laureus Awards.
Hello Shangai!! #LaureusAwards pic.twitter.com/tEr3u8oC9V
- sachin tendulkar (@sachin_rt) April 14, 2015
20:47 (IST): BOWLED! Middle stump knocked out! This is going all wrong for Mumbai again. Chand (12) runs down the crease and yorks himself. Tambe strikes for Royals. MI 45/3 (9.5)
20:43 (IST): Tambe into the attack. Mumbai need a partnership. They need to push the singles, can't afford to lose another wicket.
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20:37 (IST): Hooda in to the attack or is it Saeed Ajmal? The action looks a carbon copy! Much lesser turn though!
20:35 (IST): FOUR! Anderson knows only one way to play. Caresses Binny through covers. The last time the Kiwi came out to bat against the Royals, he scored a whirlwind 95!
20:32 (IST): OUT! Rohit Sharma gets his second duck in-a-row. Beautiful delivery from Binny. Late swing, Rohit drives outside the off stump and edges to Smith at slip. MI 31/2 (6.3)
20:27 (IST): FOUR! Chand slashes hard at the ball outside off stump. Flies into the third man fence off his outside edge. MI 31/1 after 6 overs.
20:26 (IST): Tim Southee and Dhawal Kulkarni tightening the noose on Mumbai. Good lines backed with great fielding. Rohit Sharma has joined Chand in the middle.
Feeling for my mate @AaronFinch5 right now! Just as he was starting to look comfortable at the crease again. Have a speedy recovery mate!
- Glenn Maxwell (@Gmaxi_32) April 14, 2015
20:23 (IST): OUT! Parthiv Patel (16) mishits Kulkarni to Morris at mid off. Bad shot that. Not needed especially after the Finch injury - MI 27/1 (4.4 overs)
20:20 (IST): Umnukt Chand has joined Parthiv in the middle. Massive opportunity for the youngster considering he had a poor IPL last season.
20:15 (IST): Ouch! Finch pulls up as he completes a quick single. Finch is off! Retired hurt - this looks bad, this looks like a hamstring pull. He is being carried off, was just getting into the groove, this is bad news for Mumbai Indians.
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20:11 (IST): Beaten! That was a ripper from Kulkarni. Pitched on off and straightened to beat Finch all ends up!
20:09 (IST): FOUR! Inside edge from Parthiv Patel. This is now a good start for Mumbai Indians, something they have missed in the last two games.
20:07 (IST): FOUR! Wrong line again from Morris. This time Finch clips the ball past short fine leg. MI 17/0 after 2 overs.
20:04 (IST): FOUR! Wrong line. Chris Morris angles down the leg side and Patel flicks it past short fine leg.
20:02 (IST): FOUR! First boundary to finch. Not very well timed but his drive somehow makes it past the fence. MI 6/0 after 1st over
20:00 (IST): Parthiv Patel is the new opener for Mumbai Indians at his home ground. He's partnering Finch tonight.
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19:50 (IST): Harbhajan Singh misses out for Mumbai Indians tonight. It will a massive blow for Mumbai. Not because of his batting heroics, Habhajan actually bowled a fabulous spell and got rid off Virender Sehwag in the last game.
Here's our playing XI for #RRvMI. Paltan, jara awaaj houn de! #ApunKaSuperstar #MI pic.twitter.com/AU57hsukbX
- Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) April 14, 2015
Team News: The #Royals have fielded an unchanged lineup for the third game in a row. @stevesmith49 remains captain! pic.twitter.com/anYsDfTpEq
- Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) April 14, 2015
19:30 (IST): Toss time - Mumbai Indians win the toss and elect to bat first. Still no Shane Watson for Rajasthan Royals though. Royals are going in with an unchanged side but Mumbai Indians have three changes - Harbhajan Singh out with a sore neck, Ambati Rayudu and Aditya Tare replaced by Unmukt Chand and Parthiv Patel.
19:25 (IST): Rajasthan Royals, though, have got all their bases covered. Their captain Shane Watson is recovering from an injury but Steve Smith can do no wrong. He has led the side well, batted at three and inspired the youngsters to step up for the Royals. All's looking good for the Royals, till now.
19:23 (IST): Mumbai are struggling with their combinations and tonight, they need to get it right. Will Aaron Finch find a place in the XI after two failures or will Lendl Simmons replace him?
19:20 (IST): The IPL caravan moves to Ahmedabad.Rajasthan Royals are set to play their first home game. They take on a hapless Mumbai Indians who are desperate for their first win. Royals, however, are two on two!
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The date 25 May 2014 is one Rajasthan Royals fans would want to forget that date while the Mumbai Indian fans would have a slight chuckle every time they are reminded off it. In a must-win game, the Royals took on Mumbai and it took a last ball six from Aditya Tare off James Faulkner to decide the last slot for the play-offs. (Read Full Preview)
This year, the Indian Premier League has started on a similar note for the Mumbai Indians as last season. They lost five games on the bounce in 2014 and this season, they have lost their first two. Although they are loaded with superstar coaches on the bench, the men in the middle have found it tough to get things going. The batting has been messy, the bowling insipid and the fielding, lackluster.(Are Mumbai Fielding an Half-Fit Malinga?)
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Rajasthan Royals are much better placed. They have won both their opening games and are looking stronger than ever. Although, their skipper Shane Watson is yet to feature in the IPL so far, Steve Smith has done more than a fair job. While Mumbai has struggled to find the perfect combination, Royals look a well-oiled unit with a fine mix of domestic talent and foreign stars.(Harbhajan Laments Mumbai Collapse vs Punjab)
Mumbai need a win but the Royals hardly lose at home.(Hooda Credits Rajasthan, Dravid for Trusting him)
Will Mumbai's fortunes turn at Ahmedabad? Or will the Royals continue their winning momentum?