RR vs MI, Dream 11 tips and team, Players Stats, And Preview......

MI VS RR

Match Preview

In the 51st match of the VIVO IPL 2021, Mumbai Indians will be facing Rajasthan Royals in a fierce battle for claiming the fourth spot on the points table. The game will be played at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah at 7:30 PM IST.

Mumbai Indians need a victory on Tuesday to stay in contention for the IPL 2021 playoffs. They will be heading into this fixture on the back of a four-wicket loss to Delhi Capitals in the previous week on Saturday. The defending champions will be aiming to bounce back and stay active in the playoffs race. The bowling unit has done a fair job in phase 2, which is a good sign ahead of the two crucial games of league stages. The middle-order has been struggling to get runs lately, a frequent flow of runs from the likes of Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav can be beneficial for the team.

Rajasthan Royals also have the same scenario as their Tuesday’s opponent. The one-time IPL winners will be entering this fixture on a positive after thrashing Chennai Super Kings in their previous game on Sunday. Following the seven-wicket victory along with the top-order batsmen in a good form, RR will have an upper hand in this game considering their recent form.

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

Rajasthan Royals:

Yashasvi Jaiswal has been brilliant in the UAE leg. He has struck scores of 49 (36), 5 (4), 36 (23), 31 (22) and 50 (21). How he adjusts to the slow Sharjah pitch will be interesting to see.

Evin Lewis will also be key against his former franchise. Like Jaiswal, Lewis has been in good form in the UAE leg: 36 (21), 6 (4), 58 (37) and 27 (12). If he can put the pressure on in the powerplay, MI may not have the confidence and form to bounce back.

Sanju Samson has had a fine season (12 inns, 480 runs, avg. 48.80, SR 139.53) and has a fine record against MI (15 inns, 527 runs, avg. 37.64, SR 146.80). In fact, no player has more runs in MI-RR matches than the RR skipper.

Also, Samson loves batting at Sharjah, with three half-centuries in four matches (216 runs, avg. 54.00, SR 184.62). However, the surface is much slower this season, so how Samson adjusts will be key.

Shivam Dube follow up his brilliant 64* off 42 balls vs CSK? He struck 35 off 31 balls vs MI earlier this season, but it was a laborous innings that saw him dropped from the team afterwards. Key player.

Rahul Tewatia strikes every 13.50 deliveries at Sharjah. Given MI have struggled in the middle overs this season, Tewatia, who is coming off a three-wicket haul vs CSK, could prove to be a key bowler today.

Mustafizur Rahman’s cutters on a slow pitch. MI have also struggled at the death, so the Fizz will be seeking wickets at the backend to slow MI’s progress. He has taken five wickets vs MI at an average of 23.80 and strike rate of 15.80, and will be looking to bounce back after a tough outing vs CSK (0/51 off four overs).

Team News

Rajasthan also has no casualties apart from the players who announced their exclusion ahead of phase 2. S Gopal might come in place of Akash Singh.

Probable XI

Evin Lewis, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Shivam Dube, Glenn Phillips, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Akash Singh/Shreyas Gopal, Mayank Markande, Chetan Sakariya, Mustafizur Rahman

Mumbai Indians:

Rohit Sharma :- Skipper Rohit Sharma must deliver in a time of need for Mumbai. He will have to improve on a sub-par record vs RR, with 371 runs in 18 matches at an average of just 20.61 (strike rate 126.19).

Also, Rohit has a poor record at Sharjah, with just 21 runs in four matches at an average of 5.25. Can he turn these numbers around today?

Quinton de Kock struck 70* off 50 balls vs RR earlier this season. He has a fine overall record for MI vs RR, with 245 runs in five matches at an average of 61.25 and strike rate of 145.83.

It has been starts galore for QdK in the UAE leg (17, 55, 24, 27, 19), and Mumbai needs their dynamic left-hander to carry on. He has 173 runs in five matches at Sharjah at an average of 43.25 and strike rate of 132.06.

Suryakumar Yadav, he will be looking to build on time in the middle in his last game vs DC (33 off 26 balls). He has an outstanding record vs RR (7 inns, 295 runs, avg. 49.17, SR 144.61), so MI fans will be hoping today is the day he finds his best touch.

Hardik Pandya has slammed 181 runs in six innings vs RR at an average of 60.33 and strike rate of 203.37. Given the Sharjah pitch has been home to low-scoring matches this season, any strong cameo from Hardik can shift the match in MI’s favour.

Jasprit Bumrah was brilliant against RR earlier this season (1/15 off four overs). He has 12 wickets in nine matches overall vs RR at an average of 19.33 and economy rate of 6.82. Also, Bumrah has five wickets in three matches on this ground (avg. 19, SR 14.40).

Trent Boult has taken seven wickets in just 12 overs at Sharjah (strike rate of 10.29). Also, he has nine wickets in seven career matches vs RR at an average of 23.67 and strike rate of 17.33.

Team News:

Mumbai Indians: Mumbai has no issues regarding injuries and has a fully-fit squad at their disposal.

Probable XI

Rohit Sharma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Saurabh Tiwary, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jayant Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult

Stats and Facts

Head-to-head: Matches 26, MI 13, RR 12, N/R 1.

Rajasthan have won five of the last seven meetings with Mumbai.

David Miller and Glenn Phillips could be crucial for RR today. Miller has a strong record vs MI, with 243 runs in 12 matches at an average of 34.71 and strike rate of 141.28. Phillips is having a strong year in T20s, with 1,277 runs in 46 matches at an average of 36.49 and strike rate of 153.49.

RR isn’t one of Kieron Pollard’s favourite opponents. In 18 innings against them, Pollard has scored 373 runs at an average of 24.87 and strike rate of 140.23. However, Pollard is a player who can produce in times of need.

Also, Pollard does have 15 wickets in 13 matches vs RR. So, Rohit could look to throw the ball to Pollard to bowl into the slow Sharjah surface.

Pitch Report

Sharjah has been slow and low this season, with RCB, courtesy of Maxwell, defying the conditions last game to post over 160. The average first innings score on this ground this season is 139.17, with the chasing team winning four of the six matches.

final team here