After defeating Chennai Super Kings (CSK) comfortably at their home venue, Rajasthan Royals (RR) will confront Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium in their next fixture on Sunday, April 30. With their 32-run victory over CSK, RR climbed up to the top position on the points table. The convincing triumph will give confidence to Royals and now they will look to thump underconfident MI in the upcoming contest.
Thus far, the Sanju Samson-led side has won five games in eight appearances. A win against Mumbai will take Royals closer to the Playoffs. As Rohit Sharma & Co. are already struggling to be among the wins this year, RR will also look to take advantage of MI’s feeble situation and strengthen themselves in the competition. Ahead of their much-important clash, let’s look at Rajasthan’s probable playing XI against MI.
Here’s Rajasthan Royal’s predicted XI against Mumbai Indians:
Openers: Jos Buttler & Yashasvi Jaiswal
Yashasvi Jaiswal. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)
In his last two games, Jos Buttler didn’t look at his absolute best but his overall numbers have been excellent thus far. Scoring 271 runs in eight matches at a strike rate of 143.38, he is the second-leading run-scorer for his team in the competition. Against MI, he will look to regain his form and provide solid numbers to his team.
Talking about Yashasvi Jaiswal, the youngster has looked amazing with his bat in the ongoing tournament. Riding on his 77-run knock that came off just 43 deliveries, Royals succeeded in beating powerful CSK by a comfortable margin in their previous clash. The youngster is the top scorer for RR with 304 runs in eight matches, amassed at a strike rate of 147.57.
Middle Order: Sanju Samson, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, & Devdutt Padikkal
Sanju Samson. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)
Amidst the successful campaign of RR, Sanju Samson’s dry run with the bat has in fact troubled RR a couple of times. In the last three games, the wicketkeeper batter struggled to be among the runs and would look to get better in the upcoming games. As the leader of the pack, he will have to lead from the front and set a high standard for other players to follow.
Along with Samson, Shimron Hetmyer has also remained quiet in his last three matches. His last huge knock came against Gujarat Titans (GT), where he took his team home with an excellent match-finishing knock of 60 runs. In the upcoming contest against MI, he will be expected to dominate bowlers with his power-hitting ability.
Young Dhruv Jurel has done a marvellous job for RR in their batting order. Playing his debut IPL season, the 22-year-old exuded confidence with his exquisite knocks. Against the quality CSK bowling unit, his rapid 34-run knock off 15 deliveries helped RR to post 202 on the board, which later proved to be an uphill task for CSK.
Following a struggle in initial matches, Devdutt Padikkal is now looking confident and has delivered impactful innings to his team. The left-handed batter will look forward to continuing his good work in the upcoming matches to help his team punch the ticket for the Playoffs.
All-rounders: Ravichandran Ashwin & Jason Holder
Ravi Ashwin. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)
Ravichandran Ashwin has done his job efficiently, claiming 11 wickets in eight games at a fine economy of 7.28. In the last match, the veteran looked impressive with Adama Zampa and claimed two wickets in his team’s triumph against CSK. Going by his current form, the spin wizard will be expected to do wonders with the ball once again and stun MI in their den.
Despite witnessing Jason Holder’s terrible show with the ball, the RR team management might back the veteran and include him in their playing XI against MI. This season, the Caribbean player has added only four wickets to his profile in seven matches at an excessive economy of 9.16.
Bowlers: Trent Boult, Sandeep Sharma, & Yuzvendra Chahal
Yuzi Chahal. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)
Utilising his experience and potential, Trent Boult has breathed fire with the ball in the ongoing season. As RR’s pace-bowling spearhead, the Kiwi quick has led from the front and delivered early breakthroughs to the team. In a crucial game against his previous team MI, the veteran will be expected to carry the responsibility of securing another win for Royals.
In the absence of Prasidh Krishna, Sandeep Sharma became a part of RR and he grabbed this opportunity with both hands. Currently, the 29-year-old is a bankable figure for Royals as he has provided impressive figures to the team consistently. In the last game, the medium-pacer couldn’t take any wickets but tied the hands of CSK batters with his disciplined bowling, recording numbers of 4.0-0-24-0.
Last year’s Purple Cap winner, Yuzvendra Chahal didn’t look effective with the ball in the previous contest but his overall performance has been tremendous in the tournament. Bagging 12 wickets in eight matches, he is the leading wicket-taker for Royals in this year’s IPL edition so far. The 32-year-old will strive to showcase his best against MI to fetch another victory for his team.
Rajasthan Royals (RR) Probable Playing 11:
Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanu Samson, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Devdutt Padikkal, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jason Holder, Trent Boult, Sandeep Sharma, & Yuzvendra Chahal
Rajasthan Royals (RR) Probable Impact Players:
Adam Zapma, Kuldip Yadav, Riyan Parag, Murugan Ashwin, & Kuldeep Sen