IPL 2024: Boult, Parag star for Rajasthan as Mumbai slip to third loss

Pace bowler Trent Boult returned with figures of 3-22 and Riyan Parag hit a magnificent half-century as Rajasthan Royals beat Mumbai Indians by six wickets in the IPL on Monday.

Boult's sensational spell of left-arm pace helped restrict hosts Mumbai to 125-9, a total Rajasthan overhauled with 27 balls to spare for their third win of the season in three matches.

Five-time winners Mumbai, who named Hardik Pandya as captain in place of veteran Rohit Sharma, fell to their third straight loss to stay bottom of the 10-team table.

Pandya had another unforgettable evening after he met with boos at the toss by the home fans, prompting presenter Sanjay Manjrekar to say "behave".

"Yes, a tough night, we didn't start the way we wanted to start," Pandya said after the loss.

Pandya top-scored with 34 for Mumbai but admitted his wicket made them slip.

"I wanted to counter, we were in a decent position to get us around 150-160," said Pandya. "But my wicket allowed them to get back more into the game, I needed to do a lot more."

In-form Rajasthan batter Parag hammered an unbeaten 54 off 39 balls for his second successive fifty as he steered the team to victory.

With sublime confidence, Parag found the fence with ease, leaving the MI bowlers at his mercy.

He smoked back-to-back sixes in the 16th over to raise his bat for 50. On the next ball, he found the top edge, which flew over the keeper's head and sealed a comfortable six-wicket win over MI with more than four overs to spare.

With 181 runs in three matches, the 22-year-old batsman is now the joint-top-scorer in the league this season with his idol Virat Kohli.

Earlier, Rajasthan bowlers ruled with Boult's lethal opening burst giving way to Yuzvendra Chahal's 3-11 with his leg-spin.

Boult claimed three wickets including Rohit in the space of four deliveries across his first two overs to silence the home crowd at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium.

Rohit, Naman Dhir and Brevis, all three got out for a first ball duck and another wicket by left-arm quick Nandre Burger made Mumbai slip to 20-4 inside four overs.

Boult got Rohit out caught behind on the fifth ball of his opening over and then trapped Dhir lbw before a hat-trick was avoided in the next over but the Kiwi sent back Dewald Brevis soon after.

Brevis was sent as impact substitute in place of Dhir but the move flopped.

Burger had the left-handed Ishan Kishan caught behind with a nasty seaming delivery as the bowler leapt in the air in celebration.

Left-handed Tilak Varma and Pandya counter-attacked in their 56-run stand as the left-right duo raised their fifty in 32 balls.

• Former Indian cricketer asks crowd to 'behave' as fans boo Hardik Pandya