IPL 2018: 21st Match, RR vs MI – Predicted XI Rajasthan Royals
Apr 23, 2018 at 3:19 PM
Rajasthan Royals (RR) will look to turn things in their favour when they will face the defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) on April 22 (Sunday) at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur.
Meanwhile, Ajinkya Rahane-led Royals didn’t have a good start as they would have had expected. They are currently placed at the sixth place with two wins from five outings.
Rajasthan has gone all out at the auctions to build a strong squad, however, they are yet to set the stage on fire.
Although the hos have come good in bits and pieces, they need to perform as a unit and contribute to team’s success in the nutshell.
Moreover, Royals’ camp is having quality overseas players, who are due to perform in the league. They have also struggled due to some issues in the bowling order.
However, they will look to leave behind the past and give a new start while taking on Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai side.
Here is the predicted XI of the Rajasthan Royals:
Ajinkya Rahane (c):
Ajinkya Rahane has had a good start to the tournament scoring runs in almost all the games. However, they have failed to come good as a team.
Rahane will have to step up once again to turn things for his team.
Heinrich Klaasen:
The South African wicketkeeper-batsman Heinrich Klaasen grabbed eyeballs during the India’s recent series in South Africa. He has played only one game and will need time to settle.
Meanwhile, once Klaasen sets his eyes, he can play the long handle.
Sanju Samson:
After having an outstanding start to the tournament, Sanju Samson failed to get going in the last two games.
However, Rajasthan management will want him to come good against a decent Mumbai attack.
Ben Stokes:
The costliest player in this IPL Ben Stokes is yet to come good, although, he has done well in bits and pieces.
However, he needs to contribute with both bat and ball and Rajasthan shift gears.
Jos Buttler (wk):
The hard-hitting England batsman Jos Buttler has scored a couple of 15-20’s, but the big score is yet to come.
Buttler will be raring to score some runs and contribute to team’s success.
Rahul Tripathi:
Rahul Tripathi, so far, has failed to replicate his form from the last year. However, he needs to come good early on to retain his spot in the team.
The Royals’ dugout will want a swashbuckling knock from Tripathi against Mumbai who fared well in the previous edition of the lucrative league
Krishnappa Gowtham:
The off-spinner Krishnappa Gowtham is yet to show his antics in the ongoing league.
Getting an opportunity to play owing to such a huge stage, Gowtham needs to come good early.
So far, he has picked three wickets from five games and will look to improve his statistics.
Shreyas Gopal:
The leg-spinner in the form of Shreyas Gopal has had an average series so far with the ball. Although he claimed five wickets, he needs to pick more wickets in the middle-overs.
However, Gopal has bowled at a decent economy rate and will be keen to shift gears for himself.
Ben Laughlin:
Rajasthan seamers have struggled so far this season and this is one of the main reason for the failure.
Ben Laughlin needs to take the responsibility and do the bulk of a job for his team.
Dhawal Kulkarni:
The experienced bowler Dhawal Kulkarni is just a shadow of his old form. He has struggled to pick wickets with the new ball which has eventually hurt Rajasthan badly.
Kulkarni will be eager to pick wickets and justify his selection.
Jaydev Unadkat:
Same is the story of the left-arm pacer, Jaydev Unadkat. Rajasthan roped him for a hefty amount seeing his form in the last season, but he is yet to deliver.
Unadkat needs to start picking wickets early to pay back to the trust shown by the franchise.
Also read: Sunrisers Hyderabad Predicted XI