After serving up two edge-of-the-seat thrillers in their previous games, Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians clash at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here on Monday with contrasting aspirations.
RR currently sits atop the IPL 2024 standings, failing to win only one out of its seven matches. The fightback from a precarious position against Kolkata Knight Riders, owing to Jos Buttler’s brilliance, will have further boosted the team’s morale. A win at home against the five-time winner could see the team solidify its position in the top two.
MI, conversely, finds itself embroiled in the mid-table scuffle, trying to string together a few positive results to aid its playoff chances. After a disastrous start to the campaign, losing three successive games amid lingering fan displeasure, the team has accumulated six points in the next four games.
Yashasvi Jaiswal’s dwindling returns are the only major concern for the table-topper, but the middle-order, led by Riyan Parag, has stepped up when required, ensuring the team’s long tail isn’t exposed.
The nail-biting win over Punjab Kings exposed a few chinks in the MI bowling armour — the opposition making a match out of it despite being reduced to 77 for six within the 10th over. The team might be forced to ring in a few changes to counter the frailty.
Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan have provided MI with the perfect platform at the top, but the team will need extended support from the middle-order to exact revenge on the Royals at its den.
Teams
Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (c), Jos Buttler, Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Donovan Ferreira, Kunal Rathore, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Sen, Navdeep Saini, Sandeep Sharma, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Avesh Khan, Rovman Powell, Shubham Dubey, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Abid Mushtaq, Nandre Burger, Tanush Kotian, Keshav Maharaj.
Mumbai Indians: Hardik Pandya (c), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Dewald Brevis, Jasprit Bumrah, Piyush Chawla, Gerald Coetzee, Tim David, Shreyas Gopal, Ishan Kishan (wk), Anshul Kamboj, Kumar Kartikeya, Akash Madhwal, Kwena Maphaka, Mohammad Nabi, Shams Mulani, Naman Dhir, Shivalik Sharma, Romario Shepherd, Arjun Tendulkar, Nuwan Thushara, Tilak Varma, Harvik Desai, Nehal Wadhera, Luke Wood.
Time: 7:30 p.m. IST
