Rajasthan Royals are in need of a victory
under their belt. After winning the first two games, we lost the last two.
Going by the past record we have against MI, we can’t ask for a better
opportunity to get back to winning ways, when we face them in Abu Dhabi.
Plot:
In our last game, the Royals middle order was
strengthened with the addition of Mahipal Lomror. The move proved to be
fruitful, but only after our top order was dismissed quite cheaply. The top
order has not delivered in our last two losses, but it’s only a matter of time
Jos Buttler finds his form. He can do it against a team he was once a part of
& now, loves to score against – Mumbai Indians.
Rohit Sharma’s team have been in good touch
They went to the top of the points table after a resounding win over Sunrisers
in Sharjah. However, we can take some inspiration from our record against MI
since 2018. We played them 4 times, and won on each occasion, the only team to
do so against the defending champions. MI’s batting line-up is pretty much the
same from what they had fielded in these two years, but they have added a
couple of new bowlers in Boult & Pattinson this year.
A surprising fact about each of our last 4
wins against MI is that we have won all games chasing. The trend of chasing
after winning the toss is slowly diminishing as captains are opting to bat
first after watching most of the results. The two teams top the sixes chart
this season. MI have hit 53 in 5 games, while Rajasthan Royals have smashed 51
in 4. This itself gives us an indication of what kind of power-hitting we can
expect when the two teams clash on Tuesday.
Stage:
Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Our speckless record in Abu Dhabi was slightly
tarnished after our loss to RCB on Saturday. However, we’ve still won 3 of the
4 games we played here over the years. The batsmen going for big shots need to
absolutely middle the ball to clear the ropes here. Mahipal Lomror led by
example as he chose the right balls to clear even the longest boundary. Shot
selection at this venue is quite vital.
Acts:
Buttler vs MI bowlers
This is a battle that instantly comes to our mind,
although it’s quite one-sided in Buttler’s favour. He averages 94.5 and strikes
at 182 against Mumbai Indians, a side he’d played for in 2016 and 2017. Nobody
has a better average against MI than the Boss among batsmen who’ve scored over
150 runs. This is when we need him to fire and he couldn’t ask for a better
opponent than MI.
Jofra Archer vs Jasprit Bumrah
This battle isn’t about the duo facing each other
when either of them comes out to bat. It’s sheerly about their bowling
abilities, perhaps the best in the business. Archer has bowled 51 dots, while
Bumrah has bowled 55 this season. Their bowling is key to their respective
teams. Jofra is way ahead on economy rate though, conceding runs at under 7,
while Bumrah’s been expensive this season. Archer seems to enjoy bowling
against the MI batsmen, having claimed 9 wickets in 4 games.
Jaydev Unadkat vs Rohit Sharma
Rohit loves pace off the pitch, but that is
something he may not easily receive from Unadkat, who would bowl to him in the
Powerplay. In 7 face-offs, Rohit has scored 39 runs off 25 balls and has been
dismissed twice. JD’s cutters and slower-one could be used to good effect
against the MI skipper.
The focus will be purely to get some
winning momentum our way, as we play our fifth game. A few teams are claiming
position in the top 4 already, and it will be a bit of a concern if we fall
behind. Our net run-rate isn’t the best, and we could do with a big win as
well, not easy, but not impossible either. Beating one of the best sides in the
league will be a great way to get things back on track.
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