So here we go, we have an as good as a virtual eliminator in Sharjah on Tuesday. M51 between the determined Rajasthan Royals against the inconsistent Mumbai Indians will be an almost do-or-die match for both teams. The team that wins this contest will hold a strong position in the points table and, they have a better chance of qualifying for the playoffs.
Rajasthan did find momentum in the last match after they defeated one of the top sides in this year’s tournament, the Chennai Super Kings. They would have gained a lot of confidence from that match as their Indian batters contributed a big chunk in the win. RR needs to stay focused as they face the defending champions MI in their next game in Sharjah. But MI has been struggling to solve their problems as they have just won one out of five matches since the restart in UAE. MI has found it tough to gain any momentum as they have a lot of loopholes in their side. So far, the batsmen have not responded well, and their bowling unit is reliant on Bumrah to pick up wickets. These two sides are neck-and-neck along with KKR and PBKS on the points table, as all four sides are in a tight race for the final playoff spot. These two teams have played some thrilling matches in the history of IPL, so let’s take a look at what should be expected from this exciting contest.
Head-to-Head
Whenever we think about MI and RR, we remember the match in 2014, where MI chased down an unbelievable target of 189 in just 14.4 overs to qualify for the playoffs with a higher net run rate. These two sides have played several such high-scoring matches, and it has always been a thrilling contest between these two big teams. As we can see in the head-to-head, how exciting a contest it has been between them as just a single game separates these two sides. MI has won 12, and RR has won 11 out of the 24 matches, as one match was tied. Three of their five recent meetings have been won by RR, while its last two matches have been won by MI. This year too, in India MI won the game with seven wickets in hand, as they chased down the target of 172 in just 18.3 overs. This match in Sharjah will surely give us a top game as we head to the business end of the tournament.
Key players: RR
RR registered a terrific win against CSK in Abu Dhabi as they chased down a mammoth target of 190. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shivam Dube were the architects of the chase, and RR will need the same performance from both of them again to win against the best team in the league. Shivam is one of the players to watch out for in this match, as he has performed pretty decently against MI in IPL, scoring at an impressive strike rate of 140.38. The Mumbai boy needs to play another match-winning innings against his hometown team for RR’s success in this match. The other player to look out for is the RR captain, who has performed incredibly well against MI over the years. Samson has scored 413 runs in 13 matches at an average of 34.41 and has a breathtaking strike rate of 148.02. He is a man in form as this is his personal best season, with 480 runs at an average of 48.00. MI has always been a tough opponent, and RR has to put their best foot forward to stand a chance at prevailing.
Key players: MI
MI isn’t having their best season and is struggling to find winning momentum in this year’s tournament. They have struggled to perform in all the departments as their big guns haven’t fired except Jasprit Bumrah. He is the player to look out for in this match as he has been the only bowler in form for MI. He also has a great record against RR in IPL with 12 wickets in nine matches at a magnificent economy rate of 6.82. His second-best bowling figures of 4-20 in the IPL are against RR. If MI wants to win this match, then their middle order needs to find ways to fire. Pollard is one of them and is definitely the best in this format, and the big Caribbean all-rounder needs to bring his A-game against RR for MI to win the match. Pollard has scored at a good strike rate of 143.63 against RR in IPL. He also has a high score of 70 against them, and he needs to replicate this in today’s match. MI is known to bounce back and come as winners in such situations, and we wish they would do the same against RR to have a chance to keep their hopes alive for a record three titles in a row.
Probable XI
For MI, we expect no changes. Ishan Kishan has been out of form and has missed his opportunities this year. Saurabh Tiwari is expected to continue to bat in the middle order. Jayant Yadav should regain his spot, considering that there are four left-handed batters for RR in the middle order.
RR will look to make a single change after their win against CSK. The debutant Akash Singh failed to impress as he had a mediocre day with the ball, and he should be replaced by Kartik Tyagi, who has bowled pretty well this year. Markande should get another chance as he showed promise in the last match.
What to expect
Unlike last year, Sharjah has been a low-scoring ground in IPL 2021. Spinners have benefitted from the dry and slow pitches. Both teams have quality spinners, but their batting needs to step up to set up a good score on the board. MI have struggled to play spin in UAE this year and have just scored at a rate of 6.11. They surely need to change this and score at a better rate to have a chance to win this contest. Rajasthan needs to stick to their basics and play a good game of cricket as they have the potential to beat any team on their given day. Net run rate will come into the picture, and we expect both the teams to go full strength for this exciting contest.