Guwahati: It’s still early days of the season but Tuesday’s clash between Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians at the Bursapara Cricket Stadium was on mixed notes.Royals have built early momentum with back-to-back wins while looking for consistency after a dominant opening win over Kolkata Knight Riders, following a six-wicket loss to five-time champions Delhi Capitals.Go beyond limits with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!Rajasthan started their campaign with an emphatic win against Chennai Super Kings at their adopted home in Guwahati and followed it up with a nervous but resounding victory against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad. Defending just 15 runs in the last two overs to seal a six-run win in the last game, the Ryan Parag-led side are confident and will look to continue their winning run in their second outing here.Meanwhile, Mumbai will be looking for the captain’s return. Hardik PandyaWho could not play the previous match due to viral fever. With India’s T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav stepping in as the stand-in captain against Delhi, MI had to reshuffle their combination and looked a bit nervous.Pandya has since rejoined training and is expected to return to the playing XI, although he missed Monday’s session after practicing on Sunday. In the pre-match press conference, MI’s bowling coach Paras Mehmabre was optimistic.“Yes, he will be available for the game. He hit the net for a few hours yesterday. He is fit and fine. He is not injured, just sick,” Mehmbare said.Pandya’s absence forced MI to bring in South African all-rounder Corbin Bosch as a replacement, while Trent Boult made way. Deepak Chahar bowled cleanly, but Bosh failed to make an impact, leaving MI’s bowling combination unbalanced.
Bumrah is yet to take a wicket.Jasprit Bumrah has been as economical as ever but has yet to take a wicket this season, while Mitchell Santner has done well to retain his place. However, the MI attack face a tough challenge against Rajasthan’s well-informed batting unit.Explosive openers Vibhu Suryavanshi and Yashwi Jaiswal have provided a strong start, with Dhruv Jural steady at No.3. Parag and Shimron Hetmyer are yet to get significant time in the middle. Still, their presence adds depth to the lineup.Parag, in particular, will take confidence from his calm leadership against Gujarat, where his brilliant bowling changes helped Tushar Deshpande defend 11 runs in the last over. With Jofra Archer and Nadre Berger sharing the new ball effectively, Royals look well balanced.However, Mumbai have enough power in Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Verma to turn things around, setting up a contest where pace is experienced.The numbers game
- 19 – Jasprit Bumrah, with 19 wickets in 15 matches at 19.36 runs each, is the highest wicket-taker in MI vs RR matches.
- 173.28 Hardik Pandya’s strike rate for Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans was 506 runs at an average of 72.28 in 15 innings (eight not out), including two half-centuries. This is the most by any batsman to score 500 or more runs against Rajasthan Royals.
- 5 – Five centuries have been scored by
Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians In IPL – two by Yashaswi Jaiswal and one each by Jos Buttler, Yusuf Pathan and Ben Stokes. Jaiswal’s career-best 124 off 62 balls at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on 23 April 2023 is the highest in games between the two teams.
Statistics – Rajesh Kumar
