RR vs MI, IPL 2021: 5 interesting stats to emerge from Match 51

Defending IPL champions Mumbai Indians (MI) kept their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 hopes alive with a massive victory over the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the 51st match of the tournament.

Sharjah was a batter’s paradise last year. Slow and low this time around, the venue has been treacherous for batting. To RR’s bad luck, they played their must-win encounter on a surface with no pace and bounce. Worse, they were asked to bat first.

The same RR who chased down Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) 190 with 15 balls to spare in Abu Dhabi two nights back, managed 90 for nine from their 20 overs on Tuesday. Targeting the V, MI planned their chase well enough to notch up a win in 50 balls to stay afloat in the tournament.

MI’s big win over RR brought up several statistical milestones, and we fished out five of the most interesting ones.

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#1 Left is right for RR

Left-arm pacer Kuldip Yadav made his IPL debut for RR on Tuesday. In doing so, RR became the first team to play five left-arm pacers in a single edition of the IPL. Pune Warriors India (PWI) in 2011, MI in 2014 and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in 2016 played four each.

Left-arm pacers to play for RR in IPL 2021

• Mustafizur Rahman
• Chetan Sakariya
• Jaydev Unadkat
• Akash Singh
• Kuldip Yadav

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#2 A first in the IPL

For the first time in IPL history, a team batted for 20 overs to set a target, only to get chased down inside 10 overs. The RR batted their overs to limp to 90 for nine in their 20 overs. MI chased it down in 8.2 overs.

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#3 Rohit Sharma – The first Indian to 400 T20 sixes

Rohit Sharma slog-swept leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal for a six in the third over, and in doing so, he became the first Indian to hit 400 sixes in T20 cricket.

Most sixes in T20s

• 1042 Chris Gayle
• 758 Kieron Pollard
• 510 Andre Russell
• 485 Brendon McCullum
• 467 Shane Watson
• 434 AB de Villiers
• 400 Rohit Sharma

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#4 Mustafizur Rahman goes past Shaun Tait

This isn’t any bowling record. Mustafizur Rahman has batted 50 times in T20 cricket and hit nine sixes. Out of those 50, he batted 32 innings at no.11 – the most by any batter at that number. Earlier, Shaun Tait had batted 31 innings in that position.

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#5 A new MI record for Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah bowled an impressive spell of 4-0-14-2. He bowled 18 dot balls in the process, the highest by any MI player in an IPL edition. Before this, on eight occasions, 17 dot balls was the record for MI, with Jasprit Bumrah the latest entrant, having done so in the 2020 IPL Qualifier 1 against Delhi Capitals (DC).

Jasprit Bumrahs’ phenomenal spell contributed massively towards the MI win. RR’s 90 for nine is the second-lowest in the IPL for any side after playing out 20 overs. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) take the top spot with 84 for 8 in IPL 2020, against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).