IPL 2024: Can MI open their account against high-flying RR?
Mumbai Indians would aim to open their account in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) points table as they meet Rajasthan Royals in Match 14. While Hardik Pandya's men suffered defeats in their first two assignments this season, RR's first two games resulted in victories. The Men in Pink now aim to conquer the Wankhede fortress. Here is the match preview.
Pitch report and conditions
Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium will host this duel on April 1 (7:30pm IST). This venue is known for big scores and the batters always get value for their shots. There will be some assistance for the pacers early on. The toss-winning captain is likely to elect to bowl first. Star Sports will telecast the match and fans can also live-stream it on JioCinema for free.
Here's the H2H record
MI and RR have featured since the inaugural season and have met in 28 matches in total. MI hold the edge with 15 wins in comparison to RR's 12. One match ended inconclusively. Meanwhile, the Royals have lost four of their last five games against the five-time champions. As per ESPNcricinfo, MI have five wins and three defeats against RR at the Wankhede Stadium.
Can MI pip the Royals?
There must be some confidence in the MI team as they reached 246/5 while chasing 278 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their preceding outing. Their batting line-up is nothing but destructive, though Jasprit Bumrah has lacked support in the bowling department. Meanwhile, RR have a more balanced XI and two successive defeats would have certainly boosted their morale.
Here are the probable XIs
MI (probable XI): Ishan Kishan (wk), Rohit Sharma, Naman Dhir, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Tim David, Gerald Coetzee, Shams Mulani, Piyush Chawla, Jasprit Bumrah, Kwena Maphaka. RR (probable XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Sandeep Sharma, Avesh Khan. Impact subs: Romario Shepherd and Nandre Burger.
A look at the key performers
Riyan Parag has hammered 127 runs in this season at a stunning strike rate of 171.62. Though most MI bowlers have leaked runs, Bumrah has a stunning economy rate of 6.25 this season. Jos Buttler has hammered 735 IPL runs at the Wankhede Stadium at a strike rate of 146.27. Ishan Kishan has three fifties across nine games against RR.
