Suryakumar Yadav leads MI to first win after eight losing streak

After eight losing streaks, the Mumbai Indians managed to get their maiden victory at last. The team registered their first win against Rajasthan Royals by five wickets in the 44th match at DY Patil Stadium, Mumbai.

Suryakumar Yadav saves MI

The game started with Mumbai winning the toss and choosing to field. It was not a good start for MI as captain Rohit Sharma failed with the bat. Ishan Kishan, as his opening partner, was also unable to make good use of the situation.

RR’s Ravichandran Ashwin got Sharma undone in the third over, while Sharma only got two runs with the score at 23. Kishan was also removed by Trent Boult after he contributed 26 runs with the score at 41 for 2. Jasprit Bumrah also failed to get any wickets until the end of the match.

MI also got to face Jos Buttler, who scored 67 runs off 52 deliveries with 5 fours and 4 sixes of assistance. Ashwin also made a 9-ball 21 that led RR to 158/6 in 20 overs.

It was until Yadav got promoted that the game started to make a change. Yadav contributed a match-winning 51 off 39 balls. His contribution gave him the title as MI’s top scorer. Yadav made a great duo with Tilak Varma and contributed 81 runs. Tim David also added 20 off nine deliveries to secure the win for his side.

The decision to put Yadav and David together was a good one to save the team. Sharma believed that the team combination was to blame for their good play. "Our real potential came out today, with the ball, especially. Our bowlers kept applying pressure. If you keep taking wickets, it's going to be difficult for them, we did that perfectly today," said Sharma.

Another factor that might have backed MI’s victory is the condition of the field itself. Sharma claimed that the balls had a better grip at DY Patil Stadium and that the pitches at the other venues were flat. While it may have taken them eight games to figure out their best combination, MI’s maiden victory and Yadav’s performance are still worth noting.

Media reaction

As the long-awaited victory finally arrived, the media was filled with positive reactions from people. Former cricket player, Vinay Kumar, congratulated MI for their win as he tweeted, "Great victory guys! We have tasted the victory a bit late in this season, but that won’t take away how good a team we are. Well batted #IshanKishan #TilakVarma #SuryakumarYadav some quick fire knock by #TimDavid & winning six from #DanielSams 👏👏 #RRvMI #IPL2022 #MumbaiIndians.

After escaping their eight-losing streak, MI finally found their power. A cricket journalist and commentator, Harsha Boghle, also shared his response through his tweet. He expected a more powerful performance in the upcoming matches.

MI’s maiden victory will not make a big change to their position. Due to their past performances this season, the five-time champions were already out of the playoffs. MI’s key players—Sharma, Pollard, Kishan, and Bumrah—also failed to show their best fight during this season. Even so, it’s never too bad to enjoy the small moment of happiness that they deserve.