Match #14, MI Vs RR, IPL 2024. The Wankhede Stadium is set to host the IPL match between the Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals on Monday, showcasing their strong squad and warm atmosphere.
Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals have a history of starting IPL seasons slowly and building momentum, with contests at the Wankhede Stadium often taking season-defining significance. In IPL 2024, the build-up to this contest is reminiscent of past seasons, with Royals having two wins and Mumbai having two defeats.
Mumbai is expected to kick into gear soon, given their strong squad and the warm atmosphere at the Wankhede. They may have beaten Gujarat Titans in their season-opener and take encouragement from their scare against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The Royals have also won two gratifying wins, with their middle order and death bowlers impressing in bat-first displays against Lucknow Super Giants and Delhi Capitals. However, they have not yet faced an opposition with Mumbai’s hitting firepower, which could potentially test their bowling and batting depth and their Impact Player strategy.
Team Watch: Mumbai Indians
In the spotlight
While Rohit Sharma has been in the spotlight for losing the Mumbai captaincy, it has probably gone unnoticed that he is setting the powerplay on fire. His powerplay strike rate of 178.57 is the highest of any IPL season, with his 2015 figure of 150.84 a distant second. He has scored 50 runs off 28 balls in the first six overs of the season, with one dismissal.
Team news and impact player strategy
Mumbai has already used 14 players this season, with completely different impact ins and outs in their first two games. This was due in part to Luke Wood’s niggle, which kept him out of their game against the Sunrisers; expect him to replace Kwena Maphaka if he is fit again.
Injury and availability
All players are available except Suryakumar Yadav, who is in rehab at the NCA.
Tactics and Match-ups
MI will want to use Jasprit Bumrah in the PowerPlay to make early breakthroughs, and the XI is unlikely to change significantly.
Probable XI
Ishan Kishan (wk), Tim David, Gerald Coetzee, Shams Mulani, Piyush Chawla, Jasprit Bumrah, Naman Dhir, Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma, and Hardik Pandya (c).
Mumbai Indians Squad
Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan(w), Naman Dhir, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Shams Mulani, Gerald Coetzee, Piyush Chawla, Jasprit Bumrah, Kwena Maphaka, Mohammad Nabi, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Gopal, Vishnu Vinod, Arjun Tendulkar, Nehal Wadhera, Kumar Kartikeya, Shivalik Sharma, Anshul Kamboj, Akash Madhwal, Nuwan Thushara, and Dewald Brevis.
Team Watch: Rajasthan Royals
In the spotlight
However, the Royals have new-ball bowling that could neutralize Rohit in the powerplay. They have Sandeep Sharma, a swing bowler who hasn’t bowled a powerplay this season, in addition to Trent Boult, of course. One of the most prolific powerplay bowlers in IPL history, Sandeep has adapted splendidly to a new role in the death overs, but his IPL record against Rohit makes a case for him to get the new ball again: 44 balls, 38 runs, five dismissals.
Team news and impact player strategy
Similar circumstances—toss, match situation – led the Royals to stick to the same combination in their first two games. If they need a batter as an impact sub, Rovman Powell is a likely candidate.
Injury and availability
There is no reported injury, and all players are available.
Tactics and match-ups
It’s unlikely the Royals will change their winning formula. They would be expected to attack Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan via Trent Boult, who is known for making early breakthroughs.
Probable XI
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Sandeep Sharma, and Avesh Khan.
Rajasthan Royals Squad
Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c), Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Keshav Maharaj, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Rovman Powell, Tanush Kotian, Kuldeep Sen, Donovan Ferreira, Abid Mushtaq, Shubham Dubey, and Kunal Singh Rathore
Pitch and conditions
The Wankhede Stadium (run rate of 10.14) was the fastest-scoring venue in IPL 2023. It was the fastest-scoring ground when the fast bowlers were in action (10.99), and the second-fastest-scoring ground (8.80) when the spinners were on. It was the fastest-scoring site in the powerplay (9.91), the second-fastest in the middle overs (9.58), and the quickest regularly utilized venue in the death—only Dharamshala beat it (12.26). There is a chance that we will see some run-scoring.
Did you know?
- Wankhede and Mohali had the joint-highest average first-innings score (198) among all grounds that hosted at least five IPL 2023 matches.
- After winning the Orange Cap in RR’s 2022 runners-up finish, Buttler recorded five ducks last year, the highest by any player in a single edition, and has scored 11(9) and 11(16) in his two IPL 2024 appearances thus far.
- Hardik’s term as MI captain began with consecutive defeats, and he now returns to Wankhede, where he has played 35 of his 125 IPL matches.
Stats that matter
- Mumbai has won four of its past five matches against the Royals.
- Mumbai won five of their seven home games in the IPL 2023 league stage, giving them the highest home win percentage in the tournament last year (71.4).
- Jasprit Bumrah has an economy rate of 6.25 this season. Gerald Coetzee is the next-best Mumbai bowler on that scale, at 10.50. Overall, the non-Bumrah Mumbai bowlers have a collective economy rate of 12.06. The average is similar, with Bumrah allowing 16.7 runs per wicket and the others conceding an eye-watering 64.3.
- Keep an eye out for the matchup between Bumrah and Shimron Hetmyer. So far, their IPL meetings have been quite one-sided: 14 balls, 9 runs, and 3 dismissals each.
- Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler have yet to make a truly significant contribution this season, but at least one of them is likely to score on Monday night. Jaiswal, who plays for Mumbai in domestic cricket, averages 54.50 in the IPL while striking 173.01 across four innings. Buttler, on the other hand, has played 13 games with the Royals, averaging 49.18 and striking at 155.01, with high scores of 116, 94*, 89, and 70*.
When
Mumbai Indians against Rajasthan Royals, IPL 2024, March 29 at 19:30 IST
Where
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
Head to Head.
MI 15–12 RR. At the Wankhede, MI leads 5-3. Last year, RR came close to defeating MI at the venue, but they were unable to defend 212/7, with Tim David demonstrating his finishing ability.
What to expect
5 out of the 7 games at the Wankhede last year were won by the chasing team, virtually forcing the captain to win the toss and bowl first. It should be a high-scoring game, given the location has seen some major run-chases. It cannot be any different on Monday night.