The Rajasthan Royals absolutely dominated the Mumbai Indians in Match 13 of IPL 2026. But why did MI lose to RR in this game?
The Royals made only 150 runs while batting first after losing the toss. The caveat is that the match was only 11 overs a side. In response, the Indians finished their innings at 123/9 and lost the match by 27 runs.
Here, we will discuss the three reasons why Mumbai Indians lost to Rajasthan Royals in tonight’s game of the Indian Premier League.
Why Mumbai Indians Lost to the Rajasthan Royals
1) RR Openers Fire Once More
After winning the toss in this rain-affected match, the Mumbai Indians decided to field first, putting RR to bat. The in-form opening duo of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi gave their team the perfect start.
The first over, surprisingly bowled by Deepak Chahar, went for 22 runs, with Jaiswal hitting the veteran pacer for four 4s and a 6. Sooryavanshi joined the party in the second over against Jasprit Bumrah. On the very first ball he ever played against Bumrah, the 15-year-old hit him for a six and then hit him again.
At the end of the third over, the Royals were already cruising at 58/0. The powerplay ended at the 3.2 over mark, and the fourth over by Hardik Pandya went for just four runs.
RR bounced back with 18 runs in the fifth over, bowled by Shardul Thakur, at the end of which Vaibhav Sooryavanshi got caught at deep cover for 39 off 14.
The explosive opening partnership of Rajasthan was worth 80 runs. They reached that mark in just five overs, giving their team an awesome start in this shortened match.
2) Jaiswal Dominates MI Once Again
Yashasvi Jaiswal has an insane record against the Mumbai Indians in recent years. Over the past two seasons, the 25-year-old has scored two centuries against the five-time champions. And if not for the match being shortened to 11 overs, that might have happened again today.
As stated earlier, Jaiswal scored 22 runs in the first over of the game on his own. By the end of the fifth over, he was batting at 40 off 16. But he did not stop there, as he was also the anchor of RR’s inning today.
While wickets fell at one end after Sooryavanshi’s departure, Jaiswal stayed alive and kicking at the other end.
By the time the Royals’ innings ended today, Yashasvi Jaiswal was still on strike at 77 off 32. He hit 10 fours and 4 sixes today and batted at a strike rate of 240.63. It was also his three boundaries in the final over that took RR to the 150-run mark in just 11 overs, bookending the innings with boundaries.
For his efforts, Jaiswal was named the Player of the Match.
3) RR Bowling’s Opening Salvo
Having made a mammoth total for a shortened match, RR still had to defend this target against a formidable batting order of the Mumbai Indians. However, Mumbai’s chase was damaged in the very first over, with Jofra Archer dismissing opener Ryan Rickelton.
Then, in the second over, Suryakumar Yadav fell at the hands of Nandre Burger. Rohit Sharma was caught before wicket by Sandeep Sharma in the third, while Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma were dismissed in the fifth by Ravi Bishnoi.
And just like that, the ever-dangerous Mumbai Indians’ batting order collapsed. At the end of the fifth over, the score was 46/5.
While the duo of Sherfane Rutherford gave the Rajasthan Royals’ fans a tiny scare, they too departed after making 20-or-so runs each. In the end, Mumbai ended their innings at 123/9 in this RR Vs MI game in IPL 2026.
Check Out: Why Mumbai Indians Lost to the Rajasthan Royals
Get IPL 2026 Live Score, Team Updates, along with the Latest Player News at IceCric.News and Follow for Live Updates – Facebook & Instagram.
