Mumbai Indians (MI) will be up against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in match number nine of this 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Mumbai will be the venue for this game.
The five-time IPL champions didn’t have the best of starts to this season. They faltered against Delhi Capitals as they lost by four wickets and 10 balls to spare. In fact, MI had the game in their control for most parts of it but they couldn’t close it out. They had racked up 177 batting first and had Delhi at 72/5 in the 10th over and then 104/6 in the 14th over but Lalit Yadav and Axar Patel got Delhi home as MI’s death bowling was all over the place. MI’s middle-order also couldn’t come to the party. It was only the first game and MI will be looking to brush it aside and bounce back strongly.
On the other hand, this will be the second game of the season for RR as well. They have a well-balanced side. They have quite a bit of power in their batting line-up with Jos Buttler at the top and Sanju Samson and Shimron Hetmyer in the middle. Yashasvi Jaiswal is promising at the top while Devdutt Padikkal at 3 could be an interesting move. Their bowling attack looks solid too. Trent Boult and Prasidh Krishna will be the premier pacers while Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin handling the spin department.
Match Summary
- Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals, Match 9, IPL 2022
- Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai
- April 2nd, 2022
Head to head record slightly in favour of Mumbai
Mumbai and Rajasthan have played 25 games against each other and the former are slightly ahead. They have won 13 games while RR have won 11 with one other game being washed out.
- Indian Rupee as a currency
- Very Competitive odds
- Website available in Hindi
- Indian Rupee as a currency
- Very Competitive odds
- Website available in Hindi
Jos Buttler’s remarkable record against MI
Jos Buttler first started his IPL journey with Mumbai Indians but since 2018, he has been one of the pillars in the Rajasthan Royals setup. The England wicket-keeper batter has an outstanding record against his former side. He has amassed 300 runs in five innings at an average of 75.00 and a strike-rate of 166.67. His scores against the five-time champions read 6, 94 not out, 89, 70 and 41. Those three fifty-plus scores have all resulted in a win for RR.
Team News
MI might look to replace Daniel Sams who was quite expensive in the first game. They played with only one spinner and may look to rope in left-arm spinning all-rounder Fabien Allen to bat at No. 7 and replace Sams. Ishan Kishan was taken for scans after he was hit on the toe during MI’s batting against Delhi. It is unclear if he will be fit for this game. Moreover, Suryakumar Yadav’s availability is still unknown. Meanwhile, RR have most of their players fit and available for this game.
Match prediction
The head to head record may not be skewed a lot but MI have been a powerful side and seem to have most bases covered even this season. But RR wear a well-balanced look too and hence, will give MI a tough fight. Hence, their winning odds are placed at 1.95 and MI’s winning odds are 1.72.
Who will win the Man of the Match?
Jos Buttler’s record against MI makes him one of the top candidates. Yuzvendra Chahal is a match-winner with the ball and he has been supremely consistent in his IPL career so far. He could be a big threat against MI. Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma will be the key for MI, given the likes of Kishan and Suryakumar may not be available for this game.