IPL 2021: Mumbai Indians eye return to winning ways against Rajasthan Royals

Mumbai Indians (MI) take on Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the first of two IPL 2021 games set to be held on Thursday (April 29). MI are coming into the match having suffered two straight losses. Their most recent loss was a nine-wicket thrashing against Punjab Kings in Chennai. Hence, they will be keen to start the Delhi leg of the group stages on a different note. The Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan, on the other hand, have lost thrice in the tournament so far. However, they registered a six-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders previously and will want to build on that.

Mumbai have faced numerous issues with the batting in the IPL 2021. Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock have both failed to hit their usual lofty standards. But perhaps the biggest issue has been their middle order.

The likes of Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya and Kieron Pollard have failed to shore things up. And that has hurt them more than the openers being unable to convert starts.

? Start your day with 57 seconds of SKY smashing ’em in slow-mo ?#OneFamily #MumbaiIndians #MI #IPL2021 #MIvRR #KhelTakaTak @surya_14kumar pic.twitter.com/lDxP9EvnsG

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) April 28, 2021

The bowling department remains solid. Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah have picked up where they left off from last season. Rahul Chahar has led MI’s spin attack admirably, and Krunal has pitched in nicely.

For RR, the problems run much deeper. The lack of a settled opening pair has hurt the Royals, as has inconsistency from the middle-order batsmen.

The bowling unit has blown hot and cold, with only young left-arm seamer Chetan Sakariya truly standing out. The likes of Jaydev Unadkat and Mustafizur Rahman have been decent but are lacking consistency.

Team news

Mumbai are unlikely to make too many changes to their side. The team might be going through a dip in form but on paper, the squad remains quality.

Rajasthan, on the other hand, have quite a situation at hand. Injury and Covid-related pullouts have left them with a threadbare squad. How exactly they intend overcoming this obstacle remains to be seen.

Predicted XIs

Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Adam Milne, Jasprit Bumrah.

Rajasthan Royals: Manan Vohra, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (c/wk), Shivam Dube, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Riyan Parag, Chris Morris, Jaydev Unadkat, Mustafizur Rehman, Chetan Sakariya.

Match details

Match No. 24: Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals

Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi

Time: 3:30 PM IST

Pitch and weather conditions

The Delhi track has traditionally been a spinner’s paradise. That, coupled with the hot and sunny weather of Delhi, means that batting second will be a task. On the plus side, dew will not be a factor due to the game starting early.

Statistics

The teams are evenly matched – literally. In 23 encounters, both teams have won 11 matches apiece – with 1 game being ruled a no-contest.