EXPLAINED: Not CSK vs MI! Why Mumbai's home game vs RR was IPL's 1,000th match

On Sunday (April 30), match 42 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 edition saw five-time winners Mumbai Indians (MI) edge past Sanju Samson's Rajasthan Royals (RR) by six wickets in pursuit of a mammoth 213-run target. This became the first instance whena 200-plus total was chasedat the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai in tournament history.

NUMBERS GAME

Most-successful IPL run-chases at Wankhede
213 - MI vs RR, April 30, 2023
198 - MI vs Punjab Kings (PBKS),2019
196 - Gujarat Titans (GT)vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH),2022
196 - Delhi Capitals (DC) vs PBKS, 2021

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Highest successful run-chases inIPL history
224 - RR vs PBKS, Sharjah, 2020
219 - MI vs Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Delhi, 2021
215 - RR vs Deccan Chargers (DC), Hyderabad, 2008
213 - MI vs RR, Mumbai WS, today
213 - Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB),Bengaluru, 2023

Speaking about IPL's rich history, the high-voltage MI-RR clash was a landmark fixture asit was the tournament's 1,000th match. Since the mega event's inception in 2008, it has grownby leaps and bounds. It has increased the game's overall popularity, flushed more revenueinto the sport, and led to many cricketers competing with superstar international stars.

In addition, IPL led to the advent of many franchise leaguesacross the globe (such as the Pakistan Super League, Big Bash League, etc). The pace of the game has increased manifold. Thus, crickethas never been the same since IPL's commencement.

Talking about the 1,000th IPL encounter,last year's runners-up RR opted to bat first and posted 212-7 riding on Yashasvi Jaiswal's maiden ton (124). In reply, MI rode on Suryakumar Yadav's 55 (29) and rapid knocks from Tilak Verma and Tim David to take their side to a much-needed win.

At the start of the tournament, it wasadvertised that MI's upcoming away game versus arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings (CSK) -- on May 06 (Saturday) in Chennai -- would count as IPL's 1,000th clash. Here's the twist:

EXPLAINED: Not CSK vs MI! Why MI vs RR was counted asIPL'S 1000th game:

Till IPL2022, a total of 951 matches were held in the cash-rich league. This meant that match number 49 of thecurrent season would be adjudged as the 1,000th game. However, in between these 951 fixtures, as many as seven matches were played which were called off with no result.

Notably, not even a single ball was bowled in these sevenfixtures, but all of them were declared official matches as per cricketing rules. Thus, a total of 958 official games were held till the end of the 2022 edition,making this year's 42nd match IPL's 1,000th encounter.

Speaking after MI's historic win in IPL's landmark game, captain Rohit Sharma (who was also celebrating his 36th birthday and ten years as Mumbai's captain on Sunday evening), said, "Very pleasing to see how we chased this. Last game here also we came close to a similar target. We have the ability but need to back ourselves."

On David being regarded as the next Kieron Pollard, Rohit added, "Big shoes to fill, Polly for so many years won us so many championships. But Tim has so much ability and power. In the back end, having that power keeps the bowler thinking."

David, who struck a magnificent 14-ball 45* and ended the game with three straight sixes in the final over, stated, "We needed a result. It is an amazing feeling, there's no better feeling than playing at the Wankhede,for our confidence. We have not played our best cricket in the last few games, so this feels good. It felt everyone (bowler) had to be targeted, in good batting conditions, and personally, I wanted to do something like this for a while."

Meanwhile, a dejected Samson said, "It was kind of getting wet. It was not too wet and we were taking our time to wipe the ball. We had the experience of bowling in these conditions. We will keep focusing on the process. We will keep the focus on the controllable. We will keep fighting hard."

On Jaiswal's superb knock, Samson opined, "I was expecting something special from Jaiswal. He scored 70-odd in the last game, we always thought it (hundred) is around the corner."

TRAFFIC JAM IN THE POINTS TABLE

Talking about the IPL 2023 points table, after match 42, there isa lot of chaos with the competition heating up for the playoffs.Last year's champions, Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans (GT), occupy the first spot with 12 points from eight games. RR and CSK, who also failed to defend 201 versus PBKS on Sunday during the afternoon game, are in the third and fourth spots respectively.

KL Rahul-led Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are right behind table-toppers GT in the second position. LSG, RR, and CSK have ten points each.

Punjab Kings (PBKS) are in the fifth position, also with ten points, whereas Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and MI are in thesixth and seventh spots respectively (eight points each). Lastly, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) andSunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have six points each, followed by Delhi Capitals (DC) in the last spot with four points.