Mumbai Indians seek quick turnaround against high-flying Rajasthan

Mumbai Indians (MI) continued their tradition of losing their opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) which stretches back to 2013. It is certainly not a cause for concern as they have gone on to win all their five titles in this period. After a four-wicket loss to Delhi Capitals (DC), they will look to get their act together against Rajasthan Royals (RR), who looked at their rampaging best against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) winning by 61 runs, after putting up 210 on the board.

Surya returns, but can Bumrah bounce back?

MI are boosted by the return of their star batter Suryakumar Yadav, who returns to the squad following his recovery from a finger injury. He will slot in the top-order, much to the team’s relief, giving the team much-needed firepower.

The Mumbaikar has been their most consistent batter in the IPL in the last three-four seasons. Since IPL 2018, he has scored 1,733 runs, the most for MI at an average of 32.7, striking at 138. He could not have returned for a better fixture as his average of 38.7 against RR is the second-best among all the teams.

Surya has only grown in stature since making his T20I debut last year, scoring 351 runs at a staggering strike-rate of 166, which includes four fifties in 12 innings. Surya’s teammate Jasprit Bumrah conceded at 12.9 an over against DC, which is easily one of his worst performances in the league. However, he has always bounced back in the next game, which is a good sign for MI. 

While it’s no secret that Bumrah has been pivotal in MI’s success over the years, what has impressed the most is the way he responds after a bad day in the office. Since IPL 2017, Bumrah has picked up an aggregate of 22 wickets at 10.7, has struck every 9.8 deliveries and conceded at 6.5 runs an over right after matches he gets hit for over 10 an over. 

In fact, RR will be well aware of this as he finished with figures of 4 for 20 in IPL 2020 against them – his second-best bowling figures in the tournament – right after conceding 41 runs in four overs against SRH in the previous match.

Boult and Prasidh breathing fire

Trent Boult and Prasidh Krishna bowled one of the best spells of the IPL in the powerplay, this year. Collectively, RR produced the best powerplay in the history of the league against SRH, wherein they conceded just 14 runs and more or less assured them of a victory, picking up three wickets.

MI will have to be wary, especially of Boult, who has a terrific record against their top three, having dismissed their skipper Rohit Sharma four times in 11 innings already.

Boult & Prasidh in powerplay vs SRH

The duo bowled at back of a length and at good pace to trouble the SRH batters and we could see more of the same in this game.

M Ashwin the X-factor?

Murugan Ashwin has played six of the last seven seasons in the IPL and yet has failed to establish himself in any of the teams. He started off well in the match against DC (2 for 14) and was one of the positives from MI’s loss. 

The reason for him not being able to get a long run in any of the teams boils down to his inconsistency. He starts off well, but as the tournament progresses, tends to slack off and the numbers reflect that. In seasons where he has bowled seven or more innings (2016, 2019 and 2020), he has a terrific record in the first three outings, but his performance dips in the next matches, which does not bode well for him or his team. After starting off well for the Punjab Kings, the Tamil Nadu leg-spinner was dropped and later ignored, so will the trend continue this season too?

Finding power where it matters

West Indies duo of Kieron Pollard and Shimron Hetmyer have had contrasting beginning to the tournament, but there’s little doubt that their contributions can be the difference between win and loss. 

While Hetmyer’s 13-ball 32 against SRH was instrumental in getting RR over the 200-run mark against SRH, he has struggled against MI over the years. In fact, he has never managed to hit over 15 against MI and is the only team against whom he is yet to hit a six in the IPL.

He averages 12.5 in five innings against MI and the primary reason for that is Jasprit Bumrah, who has gotten the better of the West Indies batter on three occasions. 

Switching to Pollard, he could once again have his work cut out when it comes to facing Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin. Chahal and Ashwin have dismissed Pollard five times each. 

Not just Pollard, Chahal has been at his very best even against other star batters like Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar, who he has dismissed thrice and twice respectively. Fair to say, a lot will be riding on how MI’s top batters would negotiate Chahal.

Probable XIs:

Mumbai Indians:

With Surya back, he should play at three in place of Anmolpreet Singh. A case could also be made for Fabian Allen’s inclusion in place of Daniel Sams, in case there is a little more on offer for the slower bowlers.

Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Kieron Pollard, Tim David, Daniel Sams/Fabian Allen, Murugan Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Tymal Mills, Basil Thampi

Rajasthan Royals:

For RR, it’s all about winning two on the bounce and it would be a huge scalp if they can get one over MI. Nathan Coulter-Nile looked off-colour against SRH, but he could be given another go. They have the likes of James Neesham and Daryl Mitchell on the bench if they decide to make a tweak. 

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Nathan Coulter-Nile/James Neesham, Yuzvendra Chahal, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna