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Ahmedabad: Rajasthan Royals registered their third consecutive win of the eighth edition of the Indian Premier League on Tuesday night with a seven-wicket win over Mumbai Indians at Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad
Thanks to skipper Steven Smith's stellar knock and team's initial disciplined bowling performance.
Winning the toss and opting to bat first, Mumbai Indians suffered an early blow in the form of Aaron Finch, who was forced to retire with what appeared to be a hamstring injury after hitting 10 runs.
Opener Parthiv Patel was soon dismissed off Dhawal Kulkarni's delivery for his individual score of 16 runs.
Captain Rohit Sharma trudged back to the pavilion following his second successive duck and Unmukt Chand soon followed suit with his individual 12 runs.
Mumbai Indians were reeling at 45-3 in the 10th over before Kieron Pollard found an able ally in Corey Anderson as the duo steadied the ship by adding 104 runs for the fourth wicket.
Pollard smacked a brisk 70 off mere 34 balls while Anderson provided substantial support from the other end by scoring 50 runs off 38 deliveries.
The duo displayed a resilient performance to lift their side from a precarious scenario to stage a respectable 165-run target.
Rajasthan Royals displayed an impressive bowling performance initially to limit their rivals from scoring significantly but were later exposed by the explosive pair of Anderson and Pollard.
Chasing the target, Rajasthan Royals got off to a promising start as openers Ajinkya Rahane and Sanju Samson added 28 runs for the first wicket before the dismissal of the latter for 17 runs.
Rahane was then involved in a 64-run stand with Smith for the second wicket. Rahane was caught by Anderson off Shreyas Gopal's bowling for his individual 46.
Smith played a shrewd innings, receiving slight support from Deepak Hooda (13) and compatriot James Faulkner (6 not out), as he remained unbeaten on 79 runs to romp home to victory with five balls remaining.
With the win, Rajasthan Royals are leading the points table with six points whereas Mumbai Indians are languishing at the last spot without securing a single win in their previous three games.
Brief scores
Mumbai Indians - 164 for 5 (Pollard 70, Anderson 50)
Rajasthan Royals - 165 for 3 (Smith 79*, Rahane 46)
Result - Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets
Points - Rajasthan Royals 2, Mumbai Indians 0
MOM - Steven Smith (Rajasthan Royals)
