MUMBAI, India, CMC – Shimron Hetmyer produced an electrifying cameo but his white-ball skipper Kieron Pollard found himself shackled, as Rajasthan Royals kept Mumbai Indians winless with an impressive 23-run victory in the Indian Premier League here yesterday.
The left-handed Hetmyer, without an appearance for West Indies in five months, smashed 35 from just 14 balls, a breathtaking knock adorned with three fours and three sixes which helped propel Rajasthan Royals to 193 for eight off 20 overs at the DY Patil Sports Academy.
However, it was Englishman Jos Buttler who really starred, hitting exactly 100 off 68 balls at the top of the order to set the tone for the innings.
The right-hander crunched 11 fours and five sixes, reaching his half-century off 32 balls in the eighth over before raising triple figures off 66 balls in the penultimate over.
Buttler put on 82 for the third wicket with captain Sanju Samson (30) before adding a whirlwind 53 off 24 balls with Hetmyer for the fourth wicket.
Hetmyer stole some of the spotlight, shredding Pollard’s slow medium in a brutal assault in the 17th over which gushed 26 runs.
The first delivery disappeared over the ropes at square leg, the second sailed over the ropes at mid-wicket before Hetmyer collected leg-side boundaries off the next two balls.
Pollard, who had earlier removed Samson in the 15th over, conceded 49 runs from his four overs.
Hetmyer eventually perished in the holding out to mid-wicket off pacer Jasprit Bumrah (3-17) in the penultimate over.
In reply, Tilak Varma (61) and opener Ishan Kishan (54) struck half-centuries, combining in an 81-run third wicket stand to pull the Mumbai innings around from 40 for two in the fourth over.
Varma belted three fours and five sixes off 33 balls while Kishan counted five fours and a six in a 43-ball knock before both fell in the space of nine balls with 14 runs added, as Mumbai lost six wickets for 49 runs in quick time.
Pollard arrived at number five but his humdrum 22 off 24 balls with three fours and a six was well short of the strike-rate required, and his misery ended off the last ball of the innings when he drilled a Navdeep Saini (2-36) full toss to extra cover.
