We are already enjoying the second-half of the Indian Premier League (IPL). So far, it has witnessed high and lows in the IPL 2019 edition from the staggering numbers to the howlers. The cash-rich league has often bewitched us with the distinct surprise packages during the season after another. Now, it’s time for Rajasthan Royals (RR) vs Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur on Saturday (April 20). You’ve anything new for the match prediction?
Well, dominant force Indians are well placed at second spot with six wins in nine matches. But Royals are languishing at seventh place with just two wins in eight matches.
From Hardik Pandya to the Rahul Chahar different players have risen to the occasion to win games for the blue brigade.
In the previous game, Krunal Pandya has played a crucial role to score unbeaten 37 off 26 balls. He has also bagged a wicket against Delhi Capitals (DC).
Jasprit Bumrah has been a major resource for Rohit Sharma with the ball. He has bowled fascinating spells for Indians in this season.
On the other side, hosts middle-order has flopped to a greater extent. Royals fall short of 12 runs against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) despite 11-ball 33 from Stuart Binny.
The Royals’ bowlers have lacked in penetration and batsmen got starts but lost the plot in a mid-way. The hosts need to put up a grand show before it would be too late for them.
Predicted Playing XI:
Rajasthan Royals:
Ajinkya Rahane (c), Jos Buttler, Jaydev Unadkat, Sanju Samson (wk), Ashton Turner, Ish Sodhi, Rahul Tripathi, Shreyas Gopal, Dhawal Kulkarni, Stuart Binny and Jofra Archer
Mumbai Indians:
Rohit Sharma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, Jayant Yadav, Rahul Chahar, Ben Cutting, Lasith Malinga and Jasprit Bumrah
Head to head:
Overall 22 matches – RR – 10, MI – 11; No Result – 1
Jaipur as a venue: 7 – RR 5, MI 2
Weather Forecast:
There would be no respite for players on the field. The temperature will touch to 34-degree Celcius, and the minimum temperature would be around 24-degree centigrade.
The humidity is expected to remain under 25 per cent which is a good sign for team bowling second. Overall, it won’t play the spoil the game as the game is supposed to culminate at 08:00 PM IST.
Pitch Report:
Owing to an early game at 04:00 PM IST, the surface would behave well. In the previous outing, spinners got the ball to spin well. They must be satisfied with the nature of the pitch.
We don’t expect a run-fest, but it’s going to be an enthralling game on cards.
Match Prediction:
Indians have been outstanding so far after a sluggish start in the IPL 2019 season. Rohit had marshalled his troops well, before Kieron Pollard availed the major chance of leading three-time IPL champions in Rohit’s absence. He hammered 31-ball 83 against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
So, overall, Indians had emerged as a compact unit. However, Royals have faltered one game after another.
Meanwhile, Rahane will be keen to come to their winning ways following a miserable start to the tournament. Yet again, Indians will be favourites for this game, but we’re giving an outside chance to the hosts to spoil visitors’ good work.
The team winning the toss will aim to chase down the target. The first innings projected score is 170-plus.