Young batsman Nitish Rana once again played a starring role for Mumbai Indians as they beat Gujarat Lions in the tenth edition of the Indian Premier League at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.
Rana came to the crease in the first over itself after Parthiv Patel was dismissed for a duck off the second ball of the innings.
The southpaw first steadied the ship for MI and then started playing his natural game once he was set. Rana was given a second life in the innings when he was batting at 9. Jason Roy dropped an easy catch at mid-wicket and Rana made the most of his second chance.
Basil Thampi, Andrew Tye and Munaf Patel — none of the Gujarat bowlers were spared as Rana hit boundaries at will. The 22-year-old notched up his second half-century of the tournament and played a pivotal role in Mumbai’s fourth win on the trot.
Rana has been a big find for Mumbai, as in his last five innings, Rana has recorded scores of 53*, 11, 45, 50 and 34. With this latest swashbuckling knock, Rana takes over the Orange Cap from Gautam Gambhir to lead the chart of most runs scored in the tournament.