Openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scored blistering knocks each, leading Rajasthan Royals to a comfortable 27-run win over Mumbai Indians in an IPL match here on Tuesday that was interrupted by rain.
Jaiswal, who finished on 77 not out, and fellow left-hander Sooryavanshi hit a quick-fire 39 off just 14 balls to propel Rajasthan to 150-3 in the match shortened to 11 overs per side in Guwahati.
Rajasthan then restricted five-time champions Mumbai to 123-9 in their 10-team pool, securing their third win this season from as many games to rise to the top of the T20 tournament table.
A two-hour and 40 minute delay to the match — due to persistent rain and a sodden pitch in the north-eastern city — was originally scheduled for 7.30pm local time (1400 GMT).
Jaiswal did set the tone though as he smashed four fours and one six in the first over and Sooryavanshi went for a six off India pace spearhead Bumrah on his very first ball.
He smashed another six off Bumrah and maintained the blitz until the T20 sensation missed a shot off Shardul Thakur and was caught at deep extra cover by Tilak Varma.
The teenager set an IPL record in last year’s tournament with a breakout season that saw him score a 35-ball century, the second fastest of all time in the history of the T20 tournament.
He began this edition with a fiery fifty to match expectations.
Having been quiet till then, Jaiswal turned the spotlight back on himself as he notched up his second consecutive fifty in 23 balls and pummeled the bowlers to every corner of the ground during his 32-ball innings decorated with a total of 10 fours and four sixes.
Mumbai never looked likely to meet their target after losing South Africa’s Ryan Rickelton, their opening batsman, for eight in the first over bowled by Rajasthan’s England import Jofra Archer.
Nandre Burger dismissed Suryakumar Yadav, India’s T20 World Cup-winning captain, for six and when Sandeep Sharma trapped veteran batter Rohit Sharma for five, Mumbai were just 22-3.
Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi dismissed skipper Hardik Pandya for a duck and Varma for 14 in the space of an over, with wickets continuing to fall as Mumbai lost their second match from three.
Burger and Sandeep both ended up with two wickets.