RR Vs MI, Match Preview
The Mumbai Indians are nearing a stage where they have nothing to lose. Rohit Sharma has asked his side to play fearless Cricket, knowing that qualification could be difficult even with two wins. The Mumbai Indians has a low Net-run-rate, which is why winning both games may not be sufficient for qualification.
The Rajasthan Royals on the other hand are playing the fearless brand of Cricket, Rohit Sharma is calling for. They chased down 190 with ease, and are looking very explosive. The batters are in form, and Rajasthan’s faith is in their own hands. Winning both games is what they need to secure qualification. As they face two sides who are with them in the playoffs race, both games are virtual knockout matches.
The Rajasthan Royals are known to step their game up against Mumbai. Given the situation, they will hope they can bring a strong performance, to keep themselves in the tournament.
The Mumbai Indians are having a tough time with the bat. Rohit Sharma and Quinton De Kock aren’t getting the starts they did last year. Suryakumar Yadav hasn’t been able to accelerate in the middle-overs, and Ishan Kishan is woefully out of form. The Pandya brothers are also a little scratchy, and only Pollard looks a little dangerous.
With Rohit Sharma giving his side the license to play with freedom, they may find ways to score runs with ease. A return to form for several of their players will come as a massive boost.
RR Vs MI, Team News
Mumbai brought in Jayant Yadav against the Delhi Capitals. Yadav is often used specially against Delhi Capitals, but, dropped soon after. He did a fair job, and could still continue in the eleven unless, Mumbai decides to revert back to their previous line-up.
Rajasthan are likely to stick with the same eleven. The bowling is good, with Rajasthan making some flexible and bold changes throughout the season.
RR Vs MI, Playing XI
Mumbai Indians: 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Suryakumar Yadav, 4 Saurabh Tiwary, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Krunal Pandya, 7 Nathan Coulter-Nile, 8 Jayant Yadav, 9 Rahul Chahar, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Trent Boult
Rajasthan Royals: 1 Evin Lewis, 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Sanju Samson (capt & wk), 4 Shivam Dube, 5 Glenn Phillips, 6 David Miller, 7 Rahul Tewatia, 8 Akash Singh/Jaydev Unadkat, 9 Mayank Markande, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Chetan Sakariya
RR Vs MI, Players to Watch out for
Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma is yet to get his IPL running. His form hasn’t been great, but the elegant batter is known to stand up under pressure. He scores runs when nobody expects him to, as was the case in the IPL 2020 finals, and with a crisis ahead, Rohit will want to set the tone well. Opening the batting, he has a huge responsibility on him to ensure the middle-order plays with a little more freedom.
Evin Lewis
Evin Lewis was absolutely explosive in the game against Chennai. He formed a strong partnership with Yashasvi Jaiswal, and both took the game away early. Lewis enjoyed the short balls, and with Mumbai having a strong pace attack, Lewis will be keen on facing up to them. He is one of the best openers this season, and his match-up with Bumrah is going to be crucial in setting up the game.
RR Vs MI, Pitch Report
Sharjah is nothing like it was last season. Despite the small boundaries, runs are tough to come by. The ball keeps stopping, and gripping. There is very little bounce on the pitch, and it is very helpful for the spinners. With the track getting slower and slower, batting first is a better option.
