With six losses from eight games, it is now now-or-never for the Rajasthan Royals when they face three-time champions Mumbai Indians at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on April 20 (Saturday).
Meanwhile, ahead of the game, Rajasthan Royals burst out the most surprising news of the season. They have dropped Ajinkya Rahane after the horrible run and have appointed Steven Smith as their skipper. Smith, who failed to make the cut in the playing XI, will now look to bring the best out of his players. They have played good cricket but have failed to deliver in crunch situations which have cost them the game.
The team will look to draw confidence from the late cameo of Stuart Binny against Kings XI Punjab. Although it was not enough for them to win the match, the players will look to take inspiration and script a massive turnaround in the upcoming games.
While the hosts have plenty to ponder, it’s been smooth sailing for Mumbai. Five wins in the last six matches mean they’re on a roll and are heading towards a top-two finish. The bowling unit has settled in nicely, and the resurgence of Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard couldn’t have come at a better time. Perhaps, Rohit would want more runs from the top-order which includes himself, but as of now, they’re playing the brand of cricket that deserves a fourth title triumph.
Toss Report
Rajasthan Royals skipper Steven Smith has won the toss and elected to bowl first against at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on April 20 (Saturday).
The @rajasthanroyals Skipper @stevesmith49 wins the toss and elects to bowl first against the @mipaltan.#RRvMI pic.twitter.com/FZy4lbRtPi
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 20, 2019
Here is what the captains said,
Steven Smith
We’ll bowl first as I’m not sure of the wicket, what it’s going to do. Chasing would be a good option. Ajinkya has done a terrific job in the last one and a half year and the team management thinks there’s a need for a change. I have done a bit of leadership in the IPL with a bit of success, hopefully, I can lead the team well. Plenty of games coming up in the next few days. We got three changes, I come in for Buttler who’s gone back for the birth of his child, Stokes is back in the team in place of Ish (Sodhi) and Riyag Parag comes in for Tripathi.
Rohit Sharma
There’s no grass on this side, a bit of grass covering on the other side, looks a bit of strange this pitch. I was going to bat first as well because we have defended well as a team. It doesn’t matter if we win games or lose games, there’s always room for improvement. There have been different individuals who have stepped up and that’s been a good thing. We’ve got one change, we are playing to the conditions. Also, they have a lot of right-handers, hence Mayank Markande comes in for Jayant Yadav.
Playing XI:
Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson(w), Ajinkya Rahane, Steven Smith(c), Ben Stokes, Ashton Turner, Stuart Binny, Riyan Parag, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal, Jaydev Unadkat, Dhawal Kulkarni
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma(c), Quinton de Kock(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Ben Cutting, Rahul Chahar, Mayank Markande, Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah