In the IPL, the Mumbai Indians usually get off to a lackluster start before gaining significant momentum in the final run. The Rajasthan Royals typically take the opposite tack. As a result, games involving these two clubs, particularly at Wankhede Stadium, can take on importance that defines the entire season.
Given the strength of their roster, you can expect Mumbai Indians to get going very fast. Returning to the comfortable confines of the Wankhede will also no doubt benefit them in a season where home teams will be dominant.
They will be reminding themselves that they should have most likely defeated Gujarat Titans in their season-opening match, and they will find comfort in the fact that they gave Sunrisers Hyderabad a serious fright when trying to chase down an unbelievable 278.
The Rajasthan Royals, on the other hand, have won two satisfying games. They were placed under pressure but were able to prevail against the Lucknow Super Giants and Delhi Capitals thanks in large part to the performances of their middle order and death bowlers.
They haven’t faced a team with the same amount of hitting power as Mumbai, though, so it might put their bowling and batting depth to the test, as well as their Impact Player approach.
Thus, these are two strong teams that could both advance far in the competition. Although Mumbai has a history of recovering from bad starts, you can’t read too much into their performances at this point. They will be keen to avoid suffering a third straight loss.
The chasing team won five of the seven games played at the Wankhede last year, thereby compelling the captain who won the toss to bowl first. Given the history of great run chases at the site, the game ought to be high scoring. Monday night cannot be any different.
Venue : Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
MI Probable XI: Ishan Kishan (wk), Rohit Sharma, Naman Dhir, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Tim David, Gerald Coetzee, Shams Mulani, Piyush Chawla, Jasprit Bumrah, Kwena Maphaka.
RR Probable XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Sandeep Sharma, Avesh Khan.
