Krunal Pandya's ‘slow’ innings questioned despite Mumbai's win over Rajasthan

The Mumbai batting line-up is one of the most feared ones in Dream11 IPL 2020. The side boasts of players like Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav who can anchor the innings at the top, while they rely on Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard's firepower in the middle order to up the ante in the death overs. Swashbuckling left-hander Krunal Pandya was promoted up the order to counter-attack leg-spinners after Ishan Kishan perished on his very first delivery in the match against Rajasthan. 

Mumbai vs Rajasthan: Fans unhappy with Krunal Pandya's approach

After a positive start at the front, Krunal Pandya was given the opportunity to bat at number 5 with two-leg spinners threatening to apply the brakes on Mumbai's scoring rate. Coming into the Mumbai vs Rajasthan contest on the back of a fiery 4-ball-20 cameo, fans were expecting a similar innings from Krunal Pandya against Rajasthan.

The batsman struggled to get going and was at one point of time batting at 1 run from 8 deliveries. The southpaw was sent back to the pavilion courtesy of a quick short-pitched ball from Jofra Archer after scoring 12 runs from 17 balls. The 29-year-old faced a backlash from netizens as they questioned the slow nature of his knock. 

Dream11 IPL 2020: Mumbai vs Rajasthan highlights 

Riding on Suryakumar Yadav's scintillating unbeaten 79 from just 47 balls and contributions from Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya, the Mumbai side posted a stiff target of 194 runs for their opposition. The target proved to be a little too much for the chasing team. Mumbai's pace battery ran through Rajasthan's top order dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal, Steve Smith and Sanju Samson in quick succession. 

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Jos Buttler kept the scoreboard ticking despite wickets tumbling from the other end. It took a boundary line screamer from Kieron Pollard to dismiss the dangerous Buttler as they were bundled out for 136 soon after. Jasprit Bumrah displayed sheer brilliance with the ball as he scalped 4 wickets, giving away only 20 runs from his quota of four overs. 

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Mumbai vs Rajasthan: Steve Smith's special gesture for Yashasvi Jaiswal 

The 18-year-old featured in his second Dream11 IPL 2020 match but was dismissed without troubling the scorers. The disappointment was written on the youngster's face after his twin failures in Dream11 IPL 2020. Rajasthan captain Steve Smith while coming in to bat went to the teenager and pacified him. It was refreshing to see the skipper showering continual support despite repeated failures. 

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Dream11 IPL 2020 points table

After winning the Mumbai vs Rajasthan clash comprehensively, the defending champions sit comfortably right at the top of the Dream11 IPL 2020 points table with four wins in their six matches. Rajasthan suffered their third successive defeat in the Dream11 IPL 2020 as they slipped down to seventh. The Steve Smith-led side have two victories in five matches to their name.

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Image source: Mumbai Instagram