Rain, delays, Jasprit Bumrah, Rohit Sharma. None of it mattered. Not even slightly.
Tuesday night in Guwahati started with drama that had nothing to do with cricket. Nearly three hours of rain fell on the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, threatening to wash out what was supposed to be one of the most anticipated matchups of the Indian Premier League 2026 — the classic RR vs MI clash with all its big names, big history, and bigger expectations.
But when the covers finally came off and the floodlights came back on, Yashasvi Jaiswal walked out to bat and made everyone forget about the rain completely.
By the time the night was done, Rajasthan Royals had cruised to their third consecutive win of IPL 2026, beating Mumbai Indians by 27 runs in a rain-reduced 11-over-a-side encounter. Jaiswal finished unbeaten on 77 off just 32 balls. Top of the table. Three from three. The Royals are flying.
Rain, Delays and a Toss That Backfired
After a nearly three-hour rain delay, MI skipper Hardik Pandya elected to bowl first when the match eventually got underway. Eleven overs a side. A short, sharp, explosive contest. The kind of format where the best openers in the world can decide a game in three overs.
Rajasthan Royals have the best opening pair in IPL 2026 cricket right now. Maybe in world T20 cricket full stop. And Mumbai Indians, who chose to bowl first, were about to find that out the hard way.
It’s not only about Bumrah vs Sooryavanshi — Yashasvi Jaiswal also had a point to prove. He had a solid record against Mumbai Indians: 296 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 177.24. Two of his four centuries in the IPL have come against MI.
The live cricket score from the opening over alone should have sent shivers down MI’s spine.
Jaiswal and Sooryavanshi — Pure, Unfiltered Chaos
The ipl live score from Ball 1 was already telling you this was going to be something special.
Yashasvi Jaiswal came out all guns blazing, smashing 22 runs off Deepak Chahar’s opening over — striking four boundaries and a six, punishing anything loose, as RR raced to 22 without loss after the first over.
22 runs. Off the first over. Against an international pace bowler. Before most people had even sat down with a cup of tea.
Then came the moment everyone had been waiting for. Jasprit Bumrah ran in to bowl. The crowd held its breath. Rohit Sharma, watching from the dugout, must have been nervous.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi smacked Bumrah into the stands in the very first ball the veteran bowled.
A fifteen-year-old kid. Hitting Jasprit Bumrah for a first-ball six. In the Indian Premier League 2026. This is why cricket is the greatest sport on earth.
The opening pair laid the foundation with a rapid 80-run stand, peppering the boundary with a flurry of strokes, including nine sixes between them. After 3.2 overs of powerplay, RR had posted 59 runs on the board. It was absolute carnage in Guwahati.
Yashasvi Jaiswal — The Captain of This Ship
While Sooryavanshi grabbed the headlines with his teenage audacity, it was Yashasvi Jaiswal who anchored everything. This was not just big hitting — this was a masterclass in knowing exactly when to attack and when to trust the situation.
After Sooryavanshi was dismissed for 39 off 14 balls in the fifth over, caught by Tilak Varma at the deep covers off Shardul Thakur, Jaiswal simply kept going. Captain Riyan Parag came in, hit 20 off nine balls, and between the two of them, the runs kept flowing.
Jaiswal anchored the innings with authority, blending elegance with brute force as he struck 10 fours and four sixes, dictating terms from the outset.
Jasprit Bumrah kept things relatively tight in the 10th over, conceding 10 runs, though Yashasvi Jaiswal managed to clear the ropes once. Shardul Thakur, however, had a tough final over, leaking 18 runs with multiple wides and boundaries. Jaiswal capped off a brilliant innings with aggressive strokeplay, finishing unbeaten on 77.
When Jaiswal collected those final runs off the last ball of the RR innings, the Guwahati crowd went absolutely wild. 150 off 11 overs. This was not supposed to happen on a rain-affected surface after a three-hour delay. And yet here we were.
When the player of the match was announced, nobody was surprised.
MI’s Chase — A Collapse No One Can Defend
Chasing 151 off 11 overs. Roughly 14 runs an over. Tough, but with Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Hardik Pandya in your lineup, not impossible.
What happened next was almost painful to watch.
Ryan Rickelton, Rohit Sharma, and Suryakumar Yadav fell cheaply, leaving MI reeling at 23 for 3 inside the first three overs. Jofra Archer removed Rickelton in the very first over. Nandre Burger got rid of Suryakumar in the second. And then Sandeep Sharma — brilliant with his yorkers and slower balls — pinned Rohit Sharma plumb in front for just 5.
MI slipped to 46 for 5 after five overs and the game was effectively over as a contest.
Ravi Bishnoi came on as an impact player and was devastating. Sandeep had dismissed Rohit Sharma six times in 13 innings in the IPL — a relationship that went exactly to form on this occasion. Bishnoi and Sandeep combined to dismantle MI’s middle order, with Hardik Pandya admitting after the game that “the powerplay bowling was not up to the mark and the bowlers need to take responsibility.”
Mumbai managed just 123/9 off their 11 overs. A full 27 runs short. It wasn’t even close.
RR Go Top of the Table — and They Mean Business
Three games. Three wins. Top of the Indian Premier League 2026 table with six points and a net run rate that is the envy of every other franchise in the competition.
Riyan Parag, the young RR captain who is leading his side brilliantly this season, summed it up perfectly: “I have always known this to be a strong team because we have a strong and young core. Hopefully we can keep on performing like this.”
And about the opening pair? Parag was unequivocal. “Number one. They have got age on their side. Vaibhav is incredible. Jaiswal has been doing it for 3–4 years now. The skill they have plus their maturity — they are the best going around.”
Hard to argue with that assessment.
And Jaiswal himself? As cool and composed after the game as he was brutal during it. “I am just trying to understand the situation and thinking about what I can do for the team. I keep giving Vaibhav positive messages — to play freely.”
Play freely. Two words that describe the most dangerous opening partnership in the Indian Premier League right now, perfectly.
Rajasthan Royals are on a roll, and they have Yashasvi Jaiswal at the center of everything. If you are checking cricket updates and ipl results every morning hoping someone is going to slow these guys down, you might be waiting a while.
For the latest live cricket score today match IPL, today IPL match live scorecard, ipl live score, and cricket updates from every IPL 2026 fixture — stay tuned. Because if Jaiswal and Sooryavanshi keep batting like this, there are going to be many more nights like Guwahati this season.
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