The China Mail - Jaiswal, Sooryavanshi fire Rajasthan to win in rain-hit IPL clash

Jaiswal, who hit an unbeaten 77, and fellow left-hander Sooryavanshi, who struck 39 off 14 balls, helped power Rajasthan to 150-3 in a contest reduced to 11-overs-a-side in Guwahati.

Rajasthan then kept five-time champions Mumbai down to 123-9 to earn their third win in as many matches this season to move to the top of the 10-team table in the T20 tournament.

Persistent rain and wet ground in the north-eastern city forced the match to be delayed by two hours and 40 minutes from its original start time of 7.30pm local time (1400 GMT).

Jaiswal set the tone as he hit four fours and one six in the first over and Sooryavanshi smacked India pace ace Jasprit Bumrah for a six on his first ball faced.

He hit another six off Bumrah and kept up the blitz until the T20 sensation mishit a shot off Shardul Thakur to be caught at deep extra cover by Tilak Varma.

The teenager made history in last year's IPL in a dazzling debut season highlighted by a 35-ball century, the second fastest in the history of the T20 tournament.

He started this edition with a blazing fifty to live up to expectations.

Jaiswal shifted the spotlight on himself as he raised his second successive fifty in 23 balls and blasted the bowlers to all parts of the ground in his 32-ball knock laced with 10 fours and four sixes.

Mumbai were never in the chase after they lost South African opener Ryan Rickelton for eight in the first over off Rajasthan's England import Jofra Archer.

Nandre Burger took down India's T20 World Cup-winning captain Suryakumar Yadav for six and Mumbai were 22-3 when Sandeep Sharma trapped senior batter Rohit Sharma for five.

Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi struck twice in one over, dismissing skipper Hardik Pandya for a duck and Varma for 14, and wickets kept tumbling as Mumbai suffered their second defeat in three matches.

Burger and Sandeep also finished with two wickets each.

B.Carter--ThChM