Last Updated on 6 years by Charbel Coorey
Issues galore for Rajasthan Royals at the moment. Relief for Mumbai Indians.
Rajasthan Royals put together a display v CSK in Pune that would have not have made their fans proud. If you believe RR’s issues lies just with their batting, think again. In arguably one of the worst performances by any team so far in IPL 2018, RR displayed no energy in the field and bowled extremely poorly, in addition to struggling with the bat. Watching on TV in Sydney, RR’s intensity was laughable, dropping a catch in the first over (we all know what Shane Watson ended up doing) and executing their lines and lengths terribly. They’ll need to improve significantly on their return to the Sawai Masingh Stadium.
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| Story of Rajasthan Royals’ campaign so far… |
It was unthinkable to believe Mumbai Indians would lose four out of four matches. That was the situation they faced before their game with RCB, but they bounced back really well, piling on the runs and dismantling all batsmen who stood in front of them, except Virat Kohli. Their top three were superb against DD, but what would have pleased fans is that despite losing two wickets in the first two balls against RCB, they still managed to score in excess of 200 with Rohit Sharma hitting form. MI have an opportunity to follow up three straight losses with two straight wins, against an RR side really struggling at the moment.
Key to a Rajasthan Royals win
Getting more from their power batsmen is RR’s best chance to revive their IPL 2018 campaign. Big money buy Ben Stokes has yet to truly fire, neither have Jos Buttler and Ajinkya Rahane’s opening
partners.
Sanju Samson has been their best, but one player can only do so much. Should RR promote Rahul Tripathi to opener? His stats say that this is a very viable option. He had a strike rate of 158 in powerplay overs in IPL 2017 – will RR turn to him to provide fast, more solid starts?
Whichever way RR go with their batting order, one thing is for certain. Their batting holds the key, with their bowling attack looking pretty thin.
Key to a Mumbai Indians win
The depth of Mumbai Indians has them as a contender for the IPL 2018 title, despite originally losing their first three matches.
If MI bat first, as they have done for their first four games, they’ll look to pile on the runs against a misfiring attack. A fast start in the opening six overs will further open up RR wounds that were exposed in Pune. If they bowl first, they’ll need to stifle RR’s uncertain batting line up, using changes of pace, and taking advantage of good variety in their attack.
Nailing the little one per-centers is vital, especially if the game is close.
Predicted teams
Predicting the RR line up might be as difficult as predicting what Donald Trump will do next.
In my opinion, it might be a little harsh to drop Heinrich Klaasen from the team after just one game, but an option could be to drop him further down the order, and open with Rahul Tripathi.
Rajasthan Royals XI: 1. Ajinkya Rahane (c), 2. Rahul Tripathi, 3. Sanju Samson, 4. Ben Stokes, 5. Heinrich Klaasen, 6. Jos Buttler, 7. Dhawal Kulkarni, 8. K Gowtham, 9. Shreyas Gopal, 10. Jaydev Unadkat, 11. Ben Laughlin
MI look much more settled, especially with Mitchell McClenaghan playing a good role with the ball as third specialist seamer against RCB. Expect them to stick with the same team.
Mumbai Indians XI: 1. Suryakumar Yadav, 2. Evin Lewis, 3. Rohit Sharma (c), 4. Ishan Kishan (wk), 5. Kieron Pollard, 6. Hardik Pandya, 7. Krunal Pandya, 8. Mitchell McClenaghan, 9. Mayank Markande, 10. Jasprit Bumrah, 11. Mustafizur Rahman
Stats & Facts:
- Head-to-Head: Matches: 16, RR 6, MI 10
- Shreyas Gopal has the best economy rate of IPL 2018 so far (5.92).
- Bowling first does not mean success at Sawai Masingh Stadium. Since 2015, teams who have chased have won four from seven matches (under lights).
- Incredibly, RR have won more matches than MI so far in IPL 2018 (2-1).
- Jasprit Bumrah v Jos Buttler: Two matches, seven balls bowled, one run scored, two wickets.
Prediction:
Predicting the result has been a challenge in recent games. However, I looked at this game and immediately said “Mumbai Indians”.
It’s not to say it will be a very one-sided game, but with MI looking more settled plus with a confidence-boosting win on the board, they should win this game.
