"I had planned that ball. I'm joking" - Trent Boult on picking Rohit Sharma's key wicket in MI vs RR IPL 2024 clash 

Rajasthan Royals (RR) pacer Trent Boult joked about planning the dismissal of Rohit Sharma in the contest against the Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday, April 1. The left-arm pacer had run riot with the new ball in the powerplay, dismissing Rohit for a golden duck as RR notched their third win in a row.

After giving Ishan Kishan a hard time straightaway, Boult was up against Rohit in the penultimate ball of the first over. Having had the better of the ace batter in the past, Boult managed to get an outside edge straightaway as RR skipper Sanju Samson took a brilliant catch diving to his right.

"Yeah, I had planned that ball, I'm joking. I have played against Rohit many a time and I am pretty sure he knows what I do and I think I know what he does. So, just mix it up. Nice to see the nick and it was a great catch by Sanju as well," Trent Boult told Riyan Parag in a post-match interaction.

Boult followed it up by trapping Naman Dhir LBW off the very next ball. The left-arm pacer also dismissed Dewald Brevis for a golden duck to finish with three wickets inside the powerplay itself.

"It was nice to see the ball swinging around a bit, nice facilities here in Mumbai. A little different than our beautiful Jaipur. We had to win the toss and put the ball in the right areas, and get some early wickets, so that is always our recipe to succeed and it is a crucial two points, it was a good game," Boult added

Boult was awarded the player of the match for his figures of 3-22, which restricted MI to a meager score of 125-9 in the first innings.

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"I found the situation very familiar, because of where I play for Assam" - Riyan Parag on rescuing RR

Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Riyan Parag had to walk in during a tricky situation again in his newfound No. 4 spot. With the score reading 42-2 in the fifth over, Parag had to deal with an over from Jasprit Bumrah right away to close out the powerplay for RR.

Much like his knock against the Delhi Capitals (DC) in Jaipur, he took his time to settle in. With the required rate not being a threat, he could afford to settle in and switch gears later on.

"I think I found the situation very familiar, because of where I play for Assam. So, I have faced a lot of situations like this, and the wickets in domestic are a lot trickier than this. So, when Jos bhai got out and then Ash bhai got out later, I was like, ' Okay, this is what I have been doing for the last three to four months," Parag said

Parag was the leading run-scorer in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in late 2023 and had hit the maximum number of sixes as well in the domestic competition. He was also among the runs in the Ranji Trophy before the IPL season.

Despite good batting conditions, Parag had to restrict going after the bowlers considering the situation. Another wicket in the middle overs, especially after Buttler's dismissal could have given MI an opportunity a chance to claw their way back into the clash.

"It is difficult to rein it in and respect the scoreboard. Piyush was my matchup tonight and for the first three overs, I did not try to hit him for even one six. So, it is tough, you have got to keep that temptation to yourself because there is a bigger picture here. Winning two points is way more crucial than me satisfying my ego by hitting a six," Parag added

RR will face the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in their next game at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Saturday, April 6.