RR vs MI: Statistical preview and match report
Defending champions Mumbai Indian will travel to Jaipur in the hunt for their second win of 2018 IPL, as they lock horns with hosts Rajasthan Royals. Ajinkya Rahane's men have suffered two back to back defeats and are low on morale but will look to return to winning ways at the comfort of their home. Here is our statistical preview.
Mumbai Indians will have to be wary of Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson is in red-hot form and is Rajasthan's top scorer in this edition of the IPL. The right-handed batsman has scored 5 fifties against Mumbai Indians in T20 cricket. He has 362 runs in 12 innings averaging 30.16. Samson has scored 3 fifties in 10 IPL games and two fifties in two CLT20 meetings with the defending champions.
Rohit and Pollard have had forgetful times at Jaipur
Rohit has a batting average of 25.18 against Royals in IPL. The MI captain has scored 403 runs in 16 innings against them with two fifties to his name. Rohit has managed just 64 runs against RR in 4 innings at Jaipur. The right-handed batsman averages just 16 at this venue. Pollard also has just 72 runs at an average of 18 in Jaipur.
Milestones that can be reached tonight
Ben Laughlin is just shy of one wicket to reach 150 wickets in T20 cricket. Tonight's fixture will be the 100th game of Hardik Pandya's T20 career.
Interesting face-offs in this contest
Samson has been dismissed by left-arm pacer McClenaghan on 4 occasions in just 11 deliveries including three dismissals off the last three balls. No other bowler has got the better of Samson more than twice in the IPL. Stokes is at his worst while facing wrist spinners. The Englishman has been dismissed by Chahal, Chawla and Tahir so far in his three innings.
Bumrah has always got the better of Buttler
Jasprit Bumrah has an incredible record against wicket-keeper batsman Jos Buttler. The death-over specialist has dismissed the Englishman twice in two meetings conceding just 1 run in 7 balls. Since 2015, chasing teams have won 4 out of the 7 day and night matches at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.
Rough day at work for pacers
With no forecast of rain and low humidity levels, this should turn out to be an interesting contest. Low humidity means there would be hardly any dew. The Jaipur wicket is known to be a great batting surface where the ball comes nicely onto the bat, so pacer bowlers are likely to be sent on a leather hunt.
