IPL 2023: Mumbai Indians will host Rajasthan Royals on Sunday. While the hosts have not been in the best forms this season, their misfiring unit would be wary of the batting prowess possessed by the visitors.
Misfiring former five-time champion Mumbai Indians will have to bring its 'A-game' to the show to stop former champion Rajasthan Royals' (RR) juggernaut when the two teams meet in a 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday. RR is currently at the top of the table with some incredible performances -- for example, its one-sided routing of former four-time champion Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Despite losing two of its last three matches, the Sanju Samson-led side is in prime form and delivering in all departments. On the other hand, there are severe concerns for MI, especially its death bowling, which was responsible for its last two defeats in high-scoring games. MI bowlers gave away 96 runs in the previous 30 balls to allow Punjab Kings (PBKS) to run away with the match here at the Wankhede Stadium last weekend.
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If that was not enough, MI conceded 70 runs off the last 24 balls against defending champion Gujarat Titans (GT). MI will need more from its top order, but the task on Sunday night will be to put up a unified front, given that RR's batting has been consistent enough.
In particular, Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav will have to fire to help MI resurrect its campaign. The Mumbai side is languishing at the bottom and is placed eighth in the points table after the tournament's first half. It remains to be seen in the bowling department if Jofra Archer shows up for the contest against his former side Rajasthan.
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The English pacer, far from being 100 per cent fit, has spent more time recovering from his elbow troubles this season and illness, so he missed the contest against GT. The likes of Jason Behrendorff, Riley Meredith and Arjun Tendulkar have been expensive. On the other hand, RR will look to make the most of the frailties of MI.
RR has the firepower in their batting line-up to pile up around 200 at the batting-friendly surface here. RR has an assured pairing of Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top, and in the middle, it has the likes of Sanju Samson, Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, followed by Dhruv Jurel.
The right-handed uncapped Jurel has been a find of the season for the Royals, as he has consistently made quick runs. RR's biggest strength in the bowling unit is undoubtedly the spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin, who has taken collective 23 wickets in eight matches. Left-arm fast bowler Trent Boult has looked impressive at the start of the innings, and with nine wickets in six games, the Kiwi has turned out to be RR's one of the best weapons.
Squads:
MI: Rohit Sharma (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Tim David, Dewald Brevis, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tristan Stubbs, Vishnu Vinod, Cameron Green, Arjun Tendulkar, Ramandeep Singh, Shams Mulani, Riley Meredith Nehal Wadhera, Hrithik Shokeen, Arshad Khan, Duan Jansen, Piyush Chawla, Kumar Kartikeya, Raghav Goyal, Jofra Archer, Jason Behrendorff and Akash Madhwal.
RR: Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Dhruv Jorel, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jason Holder, Trent Boult, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal, Navdeep Saini, Murugan Ashwin, KM Asif, KC Cariappa, Donovan Ferreira, Devdutt Padikkal, Obey McCoy, Joe Root, Kuldeep Sen, Akash Vashist, Kuldip Yadav, Adam Zampa and Abdul Basith.
Match details
Date and day: April 30, 2023 (Sunday)
Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Time: 7.30 PM (IST)
Where to watch (TV): Star Sports 1 and other Star Sports regional language channels - Also available in HD
Where to watch (Online): JioCinema
