The Mumbai Indians' homecoming at Wankhede Stadium turned sour as the Rajasthan Royals' bowlers dominated the first innings. Mumbai were restricted to a meager 125 for 9 wickets in their 20 overs.
Former skipper Rohit Sharma's golden duck silenced the Wankhede crowd early on. A complete batting collapse followed, orchestrated by Rajasthan's pace attack led by Trent Boult, Nandre Burger, and Avesh Khan.
Boult ripped through the top order, dismissing Rohit, Naman Dhir, and impact substitute Dewald Brevis in his first two overs. Nandre Burger then dismissed opener Ishan Kishan cheaply, leaving Mumbai reeling at 20-4 after just 3.3 overs.
Captain Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma offered some resistance, adding valuable runs to take the score to 76-6. However, Pandya failed to capitalize on his start and was dismissed after a poor shot off Yuzvendra Chahal.
Varma's 29-ball 32 and Tim David's 17-run cameo couldn't prevent Mumbai from falling to a below-par total. Wickets at regular intervals saw the home side bowled out for 125 with nine wickets down.
The decisive spell belonged to Boult, who once again showcased his prowess with the new ball, dismissing some of Mumbai's most dangerous batsmen early. He finished with a splendid 3-22 in his four overs. Chahal also chipped in with a three-wicket haul, including the crucial dismissal of Pandya.
