IPL 2025: Karn's and Boult's three-fers help MI get sixth straight win, go on top of points table

Jaipur, May 1 (IANS) Karn Sharma and Trent Boult picked three wickets each as Mumbai Indians (MI) clinched their sixth consecutive win in IPL 2025 and the top spot on the points table with a 100-run thrashing of Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Thursday.

After making a mammoth 217/2, thanks to fifties from Ryan Rickleton and Rohit Sharma, along with Suryakumar Yadav and captain Hardik Pandya making 48 not out each, MI were relentless in their bowling efforts to bowl out a listless RR for 117 in 16.1 overs to get their first win in Jaipur for the first time since 2012.

The massive margin of victory has meant that MI’s net run rate stands at 1.274, which is also the best among all sides. On the other hand, the crushing defeat means RR are now eliminated from IPL 2025. In defence of the mammoth total, MI were on the money from the word go.

Deepak Chahar had young Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who hit a whirlwind 35-ball century in the last game, mistime to mid-on for a two-ball duck. Yashasvi Jaiswal smacked Trent Boult for two sixes, but the pacer bounced back by castling Jaiswal in the same over.

Nitish Rana was next to fall, pulling one to the deep square-leg off Boult, while Riyan Parag’s relentless test by short balls resulted in him giving a top-edge to mid-wicket off Jasprit Bumrah. The short ball from Bumrah took Shimron Hetmyer out on the very next ball, as mid-wicket held on to a sharp catch.

After RR ended their power-play at 62/5, Shubham Dubey tried delaying the inevitable with a nine-ball 15, laced with three boundaries. But there was no stopping RR’s slide as Dubey holed out to long-on off Hardik Pandya, while Dhruv Jurel’s attempt to paddle sweep off Karn Sharma took the glove edge, and the leg-spinner ran forward to take the catch off his bowling.

Karn, introduced as the impact player, then had a double strike against his name in the 12th over, before Boult finished it off by having Jofra Archer caught at short fine leg and ending his cameo on 30, as MI secured a statement win.

Brief Scores: Mumbai Indians 217/2 in 20 overs (Ryan Rickleton 61, Rohit Sharma 53; Riyan Parag 1-12, Maheesh Theekshana 1-47) beat Rajasthan Royals 117 in 16.1 overs (Jofra Archer 30, Riyan Parag 16; Karn Sharma 3-23, Trent Boult 3-28) by 100 runs

--IANS

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