The first game of this weekend in the 12th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will see three-time champions Mumbai Indians fight it out with Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Mumbai Indians are currently sitting in the third spot in the points table and will be high on confidence with three consecutive victories. In the last match, interim skipper Kieron Pollard played a magical knock to chase down 198 runs against Kings XI Punjab. They will look to play the same brand of cricket and keep the winning momentum going. Meanwhile, the addition of Rohit Sharma – recovering from injury, and Lasith Malinga – joining the side after a domestic ODI tournament in Sri Lanka will be a booster for the team.
On the other hand, Rajasthan Royals have a lot to ponder upon. They have not got desired results in the season so far and will target the Mumbai Indians match to script a comeback. However, for that, the management needs to make some tough calls. The likes of Ashton Turner – who grabbed eyeballs during the ODI series against Australia is sitting on the sidelines and can change the game. The bowling also needs to come good as a unit to keep the Mumbai batters at check.
While Mumbai Indians will look to make progress in the points table, Rajasthan Royals main aim will be to pocket a much-needed win to keep them alive in the tournament.
Date & Venue: April 13 (Saturday) at 4:00 PM IST, at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai
Head to Head:
| Stats | Matches | Mumbai Indians | Rajasthan Royals | Tied/No Result |
| Overall | 20 | 11 | 9 | 0/0 |
| In IPL | 18 | 10 | 8 | 0/0 |
| At Wankhede Stadium (Mumbai) | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0/0 |
| In the last 10 matches | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0/0 |
Weather Report
It will be sweltering hot in Wankhede leading to the game which will start at 4:00 PM. The temperature – 34 degrees Celsius will remain the same throughout the game. Meanwhile, there are no chances of rain spoiling the game time.
There will be significant cloud cover during the game time and the team bowling second will have to deal with the dew problem.
Pitch Report
So far, the Wankhede Stadium has produced high-scoring encounter, and it is unlikely to be different on Saturday’s clash.
The boundaries are short here in Wankhede, and no target is safe in this iconic ground. Thus, both the teams will look to chase as they will have a goal to aim.
Match Prediction
Going by the current form of both the teams, Mumbai Indians stand the clear winner in this game. Rajasthan Royals in this tournament have lacked finishing abilities which have hurt them badly.
Also going by the statistics, Mumbai holds the stead with 11 wins in 20 matches played so far. Besides, they will also have the home advantages going by their way. The way Mumbai Indians batted in the last game, if they can continue the same Mumbai will be the clear cut winner at Wankhede on Saturday evening.