IPL 2021: Mumbai Indians opt to bowl vs Rajasthan Royals, Ishan Kishan out

Mumbai Indians have chosen to bowl against Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2021 clash at the Arun Jaitley stadium on Thursday. Ishan Kishan is out of the side after a run of poor form. Rajasthan Royals is unchanged. Kishan had scores of 28,1,12,26,6 and Nathan Coulter-Nile took his place. Mumbai Indians are currently fourth in the points table while Rajasthan Royals are seventh.

However, Rajasthan Royals hold an edge over the five-time champions. In the last six encounters, Rajasthan Royals have won five matches stretching from 2018. Before the match, Rajasthan Royals announced they will donate Rs 7.5 crore towards the COVID relief fund. Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Kolkata are all coronavirus hotspots. There is a growing debate on whether the IPL should take place.

India is batting the second wave of the coronavirus which is seeing over 350,000 cases per day. On Wednesday, India recorded a global high of 379,000. Experts state India could see 500,000 cases everyday in mid-May, at a time when the IPL playoffs are been decided.

Rajasthan Royals eye consistency

Sanju Samson, the Rajasthan Royals skipper, added that he would have bowled looking at the dry conditions in Delhi. “We can see some grass, but I think it’s good for batting and bowling. We play every game in a different perspective,” Samson said. Rohit, on the other hand, wanted to ensure that he had a target in place so that they could pace their play. “The pitch looks alright, looks a good pitch, better than Chennai. Looking to chase the total. This looks much better. We want to play fearless cricket, hopefully the guys take the responsibility,” Rohit said. 

Playing 11s

Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson(w/c), Shivam Dube, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Riyan Parag, Chris Morris, Jaydev Unadkat, Chetan Sakariya, Mustafizur Rahman

Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Quinton de Kock(w), Rohit Sharma(c), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jayant Yadav, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult