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Tim David leaves cricket world stunned with 'record-breaking' feat in IPL

The Aussie power-hitter left Sachin Tendulkar stunned after his final-over finish.

Tim David celebrates with Tilak Varma for the Mumbai Indians.
Aussie T20 superstar Tim David (pictured) has put the cricket world on notice after blasting three sixes in a row to help the Mumbai Indians chase down 213 for victory. (Getty Images)

Aussie T20 superstar Tim David has put the cricket world on notice after blasting three sixes in a row to help the Mumbai Indians chase down 213 and leave Sachin Tendulkar and the franchise fans in awe. No team had ever chased down more than 200 on at the ground and David was asked to score 17 off the final over to steal victory.

David has been looking to produce one of his trademark finishes for quite some time in the Indian Premier League and the power-hitting Aussie delivered in the tournaments 1,000th game. The 27-year-old dug up a yorker for his first six as he advanced down the crease.

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David continued his tactic of advancing down the crease to take on the yorker and delivered with two more sixes to leave the raucous Mumbai fans going wild on the landmark night for the tournament. West Indies bowler Jason Holder would have been disappointed with his full-tosses, but there was no taking away from David's power-hitting at the death.

"This is some cricket. This is record-breaking, history-breaking cricket," the commentator said. "But it has been the season, so far, of big run chases."

David was thrilled to have delivered a monumental moment in the tournament having been snapped up for a whopping price tag. "I've wanted to play an innings like this for a while," smiled David, who was the highest-paid of all Australians when he was snapped up by Mumbai before the 2022 competition for $1.53 million.

This was a dazzling demonstration of exactly why the Singapore-born batter, now in his second season with Mumbai, was originally deemed worth the big bucks as he provided a ruthless, clinical finish to the Indians' chase of Rajasthan's 7-212. When David came to the crease, 72 were still needed off 4.2 overs but the West Australian was in breathtaking form from the outset to chase down the unlikely win.

Off just 14 balls, he changed the course of the match with five sixes and two fours in his 45no. "In the final over, I tried to get in front and close the angle down, play good shots," David said. "It was good to bat at the end. Amazing feeling to win like that."

Fans went ballistic over the scenes with legendary Indian batter Tendulkar embracing David on the pitch after he and Tilak Varma put on an unbeaten 62-run stand to win the match.

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The Royals had earlier been inspired by a remarkable knock from opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who hit 124 off 62 balls - the highest in the league this year at an average of exactly two runs per ball - featuring eight sixes.

He scored 106 more than any of his colleagues - and he even belted a short one from the fearsome Jofra Archer right out of the ground in a quite extraordinary display.

But on a belting pitch, though, it had always looked an attainable target, until David's star Australian teammate Cameron Green fell for a sparkling 44 off 26 balls - hitting a couple of huge sixes himself - and then the magical Suryakumar Yadav got dismissed for 55 off 29 balls.

Mumbai Indians' Tim David plays a shot during the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 30, 2023. (Photo by Punit PARANJPE / AFP) (Photo by PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP via Getty Images)
Mumbai Indians' Tim David plays a shot during the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 30, 2023. (Photo by Punit PARANJPE / AFP) (Photo by PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP via Getty Images) (PUNIT PARANJPE via Getty Images)

with AAP

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