The Sanju Samson-led table-toppers Rajasthan Royals will lock their horns with the five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians in the 38th match of the 2024 Indian Premier League season at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Monday evening.
The Royals are on a roll in IPL 2024 while the Mumbai-based franchise has regained some grounding after three consecutive losses to kick off the 2024 edition of the cash-rich league.
What has happened so far?
The Hardik Pandya-led Mumbai Indians won three out of the seven matches they played and are currently in the 7th position in the points table. On the other side, the Rajasthan Royals looked unstoppable from the start of the season, and they are at the top of the points table with six wins in seven matches.
The Royals have had an incredible run in IPL 2024 as the Pink Army is firmly positioned at the top of the points table after winning six of their last seven games. RR lost to the Gujarat Titans on the final ball after winning four straight games but bounced back with two consecutive wins including a thrilling two-wicket win against the Kolkata Knight Riders on the last ball at Eden Gardens.
Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, lost their opening three games of the season, and Hardik Pandya, their new captain, came under heavy criticism for his decisions. The five-time champions, nevertheless, have turned the campaign around with three victories in their previous four games.
In their most recent encounter, they managed to pull off a win from the clutches of Ashutosh Sharma who fired a late assault for Punjab Kings but ended up on the losing side by a 9-run difference. Once again, Jasprit Bumrah was entrusted to carry out the majority of the work while he stood out by taking three wickets along with Gerald Coetzee who also had a major impact.
Head to Head Record
Since the Indian Premier League’s inaugural edition in 2008, the Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians have squared off in 29 games. In their head-to-head record, the Royals have won 13 matches while the Mumbai Indians have won 15 matches, including one abandoned game.
At the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, the Royals had an edge because they had won five of their seven matches played against the Mumbai Indians.
In the reverse fixture in IPL 2024, the Royals registered a convincing six-wicket win over the Mumbai Indians.
Key Players
Jos Buttler (Rajasthan Royals): Jos Buttler will be the player to look out for the Royals, as he has found the rhythm this season after not having a good start in the initial matches. In the IPL 2024, he scored 250 runs with an average of 62.50 and a great strike rate of 147.93.
Buttler holds a great record for playing at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, as he has scored 734 runs with a strike rate of 139.8, which includes a century in the 19 matches he played there.
Jasprit Bumrah (Mumbai Indians): Jasprit Bumrah is currently the purple cap holder of IPL 2024, with 13 wickets at an economy of only 5.96. Bumrah’s best performance of the tournament came against Royal Challengers Bengaluru where the fast bowler picked a 5-wicket haul dismissing both opening batters, Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis to set the tone early.
Jasprit Bumrah is currently the purple cap holder of the IPL 2024
MI will be looking to get off to a good start from Bumrah, as the pitch at Sawai Mansingh Stadium does help the bowlers early on along with Nuwan Thushara who might replace Mohammed Nabi in Mumbai Indians’ playing XI.
Team News from Both Camps
After sustaining a leg injury, Nandre Burger, who had been excellent in the initial few games, was replaced by Rovman Powell in the RR playing XI.
Powell has played a few helpful cameos down in the order and it would be intriguing to see if the Proteas pacer replaces the highly effective Powell in the starting lineup if he is deemed match fit.
Since Suryakumar Yadav’s return to the playing XI, the MI batting order has gained more stability but the presence of Nehal Wadhera might add more bite to the lineup. It remains to be seen if the Ludhiaa-born batter would be backed by the management to make his first appearance of the season.
Predicted XIs
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya ©, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Shreyas Gopal, Gerald Coetzee, Jasprit Bumrah, Nuwan Thushara
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson © (wk), Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Rovman Powell, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal
Prediction
Both sides would be eager to clinch a victory to grab those crucial two points and continue the winning momentum. Both teams registered a close victory in their respective last games, so both teams would be looking to carry forward the momentum.
The Mumbai Indians hold the slight edge in the head-to-head records, but at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, the Royals have a record in their favor, and the kind of form in which they were in will make them the favorites heading into the game.