Mumbai Indians will be eager to open their account in the points table as they will go one-on-one against Rajasthan Royals in the 14th match of the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League. The game is all set to be played on Monday at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
While Mumbai will be hoping to win their first match on their home pitch, Rajasthan Royals will be eager to continue their winning streak in the tournament and make their way to the top of the points table.
What has happened so far?
The odds have not been in the favor of Hardik Pandya and Mumbai Indians in the ongoing IPL season. After losing both games, the team is currently languishing in the second-last place in the points table. In their first match of the T20 Championship, the five-time champion faces a loss at the hands of Gujarat Titans. The six-run defeat came as the MI batters failed to score a relatively easy target of 169 runs.
Their second fixture against Sunrisers Hyderabad was a batting spectacle as SRH ended up smacking 277 runs in the first innings. Except for Jasprit Bumrah, no bowler could keep a check of their line and length. Chasing the mammoth score, Mumbai came pretty close with 246 runs but fell short of 31 runs.
Speaking of Rajasthan Royals, they have been absolutely sensational in the tournament with two wins to their name from as many matches. With four points, the team is occupying the third place in the points table. In their opening match, the Royal defeated Lucknow Super Giants by 20 runs.
Meanwhile, their second match saw them outplaying the Delhi Capitals by 12 runs. It was a stunning performance by the RR batters as they scored 185 runs in the first innings courtesy of a sensational knock by Riyan Parag.
Head to Head Record
Mumbai Indians have an edge over Rajasthan Royals in the head-to-head record as the two teams have clashed against each other in a total of 28 games. The Mumbai-based franchise has recorded victory in 15 games while 12 matches saw the Pink Army scoring a win with a solitary fixture ending without a result.
Key Players
Jasprit Bumrah (Mumbai Indians): Jasprit Bumrah has been the only saving grace for Mumbai Indians in the 2024 Indian Premier League so far. The pace sensation kept his calm in MI’s recent game against Sunrisers Hyderabad when all the other bowlers leaked runs at an economy rate of over 11.5. In four overs, Bumrah failed to pick up a wicket but gave away 36 runs at an economy rate of nine.
Meanwhile, Mumbai’s first match saw the best of Jasprit Bumrah as he conceded only 14 runs in his four overs while also dismissing three players including Wriddhiman Saha, Sai Sudharsan, and David Miller. Thus, the odds are in the favor of the pacer to deliver another good performance.
Riyan Parag (Rajasthan Royals): Riyan Parag has emerged as a surprise performer for Rajasthan Royals in the ongoing season of the T20 Championship. The young batter has been sensational in the two games so far and is currently occupying the third place in the points table.
Riyan Parag is in sensational form ahead of the crucial match against Mumbai Indians
He has scored a total of 127 runs in two matches at the same average and a strike rate of over 171.5. Parag was at his best in the game against Delhi Capitals as he took home the Player of the Match award for his unbeaten innings of 84 runs off 45 balls.
With two back-to-back brilliant knocks to his name, it should be no surprise that Parag will enter the Monday match against Mumbai Indians as one of the key players for the Royals.
Team News from Both Camps
Mumbai Indians are again likely to miss the services of their premier batter Suryakumar Yadav as he is yet to get a clearance on his fitness from the NCA. The absence of Yadav has been a big blow for the five-time champions as he has played a key role for the franchise in the past few years.
On the other hand, Rajasthan Royals is one of the few lucky teams in the Indian Premier League 2024 who have all their players available for selection without any injury concerns.
Predicted XIs
Mumbai Indians: Ishan Kishan (wk), Rohit Sharma, Naman Dhir, Tilak Varma, Dewald Brevis, Hardik Pandya ©, Tim David, Gerald Coetzee, Shams Mulani, Piyush Chawla, Jasprit Bumrah
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson © (wk), Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Sandeep Sharma, Avesh Khan
Prediction
Rajasthan Royals will walk into the Monday match as favorites as they have put up a spectacular show in the Indian Premier League 2024 so far. The franchise is undefeated in the tournament so far with two wins to its name and is likely to put up another brilliant performance on Monday.