Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur added a touch of entertainment and intensity to the IPL 2026 clash between Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians with a light-hearted on-field exchange during the final over of the first innings at the Wankhede Stadium. The friendly banter unfolded in the 20th over when Jadeja arrived at the crease.
Thakur, bowling the final over for the Mumbai Indians, greeted the veteran all-rounder with playful gestures as the two shared a brief competitive moment in the middle. However, Jadeja quickly responded in style with the bat.
After Thakur bowled a no-ball on the fourth delivery of the over, Jadeja capitalised brilliantly on the momentum shift. The left-handed batter smashed the next two deliveries for consecutive boundaries and celebrated with an aggressive roar, giving a fiery response to the MI pacer.
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The late assault proved crucial for Rajasthan Royals, who recovered strongly in the death overs to post an impressive 205/8 in their 20 overs. Jadeja remained unbeaten on 19 runs from just 11 balls, hitting three boundaries during his cameo.
Despite losing wickets at regular intervals, Rajasthan managed to cross the 200-run mark without a single batter reaching a half-century — a rare feat in IPL history.
RR innings progression:
- Overs 1-6: 54/3
- Overs 7-15: 78/2
- Overs 16-20: 73/3
The kind of banters we love to see 😂💙🩷#TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #MIvRR | @mipaltan | @rajasthanroyals pic.twitter.com/j9A7YIphGr
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 24, 2026
The explosive finish completely changed the momentum of the innings. After struggling in patches during the middle overs, RR hammered 73 runs in the final five overs to put Mumbai under pressure.
The total also placed Rajasthan on a unique IPL list for scoring 200-plus totals without a 50-plus partnership, highlighting the collective contribution from the batting unit.
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After the innings, Deepak Chahar admitted that the hot and humid conditions in Mumbai made life difficult for bowlers throughout the innings. The MI pacer also felt the pitch improved significantly for batting during the latter half of the innings.
According to Chahar, the surface became easier once the ball got older, and he remained confident about Mumbai’s chances of chasing down the target despite Rajasthan posting over 200 on the board.
