NEW DELHI:Deepak Chahar gave Mumbai Indians the much-needed breakthrough they were looking for in their IPL 2026 match against Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Chahar claimed the biggest wicket of the match, dismissing Rajasthan Royals star batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi cheaply.Sooryavanshi was expected to come out all guns blazing in Rajasthan Royals’ all-important clash but failed miserably. Chahar bowled a fuller-length delivery right in the slot. Sooryavanshi went for a lofted shot but managed only a leading edge. Naman Dheer sprinted in and completed a brilliant catch at deep point to send Sooryavanshi back to the pavilion.The entire Wankhede crowd went berserk after Sooryavanshi’s dismissal. MI skipper Hardik Pandya erupted in celebration, all smiles as he walked up to hug Chahar.Mumbai Indians won the toss and elected to bowl first in their final league match of the season, a must-win clash for Rajasthan Royals.MI rested seasoned pacer Jasprit Bumrah, bringing Deepak Chahar into the playing XI. Rajasthan Royals made three changes, with skipper Riyan Parag, Nandre Burger, and Ravindra Jadeja coming into the side.MI captain Hardik Pandya said the conditions were the reason behind opting to bowl first. “When we have played in the afternoon, it (the pitch) tends to get better in the afternoon,” said Pandya at the toss.“Looks like a good track. It’s hard. Will mostly play like this. Once the sun goes down, it’s slightly better. Just want to come out there and give our best shot. We have had a tough season,” he added.With Rajasthan Royals needing a win to secure the fourth playoff spot, captain Parag said the team would give its best in the must-win contest as they trail Punjab Kings by one point.“Would have done the same thing. Could be the last game of the season. We’ll play like it. All the prep and energy that went into the tournament… Hopefully, we maximise our opportunity and get ahead in the playoffs. Rather have this than depend on someone else,” he said.Playing XIs:Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (c), Donovan Ferreira, Shubham Dubey, Dasun Shanaka, Jofra Atcher, Nandre Burger, Yash Raj Punja, Brijesh SharmaImpact substitutes: Ravindra Jadeja, Sushant Mishra, Aman Rao Perala, Ravi Bishnoi, Tushar DeshpandeMumbai Indians: Ryan Rickelton (wk), Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Will Jacks, Corbin Bosch, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, AM Ghazanfar, Raghu SharmaImpact substitutes: Rohit Sharma, Mayank Rawat, Robin Minz, Krish Bhagat, Trent Boult
