In the game between the Rajasthan Royals and the Mumbai Indians, Navdeep Saini was seen crumpled up in pain after taking a fine catch in the field to eliminate Ishan Kishan, who looked threatening for a huge score. 

The speedster was given a chance in the starting XI after the Royals elected to go into the game with only three foreign players, and he did not get off to a great start, allowing a lot in his first over of the season.

He did, however, take the wicket of Anmolpreet Singh and was ecstatic after returning off the final ball of his first over. At 149 kmph, Saini produced the fastest ball of the match as he's also recognised for clocking some extremely quick deliveries. 

When Tilak Varma top-edged one of Prasidh Krishna's balls, he had a 50-50 chance at a challenging catch while standing at mid-off, but he couldn't get hold of it.

As far as the catch is concerned, Kishan and Varma were up and racing on the chase, robbing the Royals of the game. Sanju Samson's side needed a wicket badly, so the skipper brought in Trent Boult, the most likely pacer to get one.

Kishan drew a short delivery from Boult into the deep square leg region, where Saini was a touch wider. The Delhi seamer made a fantastic catch, but in the process, he injured his head while sliding down.

Despite a head injury, Saini came out to deliver the final over of the innings with 28 runs to defend, and he bowled brilliantly. 

With the field crowded in the offside, the 29-year-old started with two wides and allowed a four, but managed to bowl straight into the blockhole when it mattered.

Navdeep Saini Injured. pic.twitter.com/i56oSR49WW

Kieron Pollard was unable to hit a big ball and died off the final delivery, handing the Rajasthan Royals a 23-run victory. Saini's spell ended with 2 for 36 in three overs, and he was also impressive on the field.

After winning their second consecutive match of the tournament while also maintaining a strong Net Run Rate, Rajasthan Royals have found themselves to be at the very top of the IPL 2022 points table. 

Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians lost both their matches so far and are at seated at 9th place in the points table.

View the full article