IPL 2018: Match 21, RR vs MI - Mumbai Indians Predicted XI

Mumbai Indians (MI) have travelled all the way to Jaipur to face the struggling Rajasthan Royals (RR) after a decent break of 5 days. Though they would’ve loved to play few back-to-back matches after registering their first win of the season following the three heart-breaking losses. They will be eager to continue the winning momentum now and begin their juggernaut. However, the hosts would also be itching to get their perfect combination in the middle and get back to the winning ways in front of their home crowd.

Rohit Sharma led side put on a complete performance against RCB at the Wankhede Stadium and announced their arrival at the tournament. While they will be feeling of being in a good space ahead of this crucial game, it is important for them to not think too far and concentrate. They also can’t afford to take things for granted as a lot of superstars will be in action on the super Sunday for the Royals. It would be interesting to see the way the visitors approach this match.

Here we bring you the predicted XI of Mumbai Indians against Royals:

Openers (Suryakumar Yadav, Evin Lewis)

Suryakumar Yadav, as an opener, has had mixed bag after two innings as he was castled off the very first delivery in the last game. But the team management will continue to back him at the top of the order and will hope that he does the job for them. He is in good form this season and should be confident of scoring big in this game for Mumbai.

Evin Lewis has got into his groove and now will be itching to play as many games as possible while he is in the form. The swashbuckling left-hander has so far scored 142 runs in 4 innings at an amazing strike rate of 159.55. He has also whacked as many as 11 maximums and might not have played his best knock yet. What better than doing it in an away game for your side? Even the team would feel that this is the right time for the youngster to go bonkers.

Middle Order (Ishan Kishan (wk), Rohit Sharma (c), Kieron Pollard)

Ishan Kishan has resumed training ahead of the game and will surely play this game after copping a blow on his face during the last match. The wicketkeeper-batsman would want to put the horrific incident behind and play a significant role for MI in this match. He has got the capability to score big and he has put an exhibition of strokeplay during his brief cameos at number 3.

Rohit Sharma, the skipper, came to the fore for the defending champions against RCB after they were rocked early. His return to form is a huge boost for the team and should continue playing in the same vein. It is immensely crucial for his team that their captain stays upbeat with the bat as it reflects in his brilliant leadership as well. He will bat at number 4 and the position suits him perfectly.

Kieron Pollard is the only cricketer from the Carribean to not have set the stage on fire so far and he will be knowing this fact as well. He has to bat at 5 in this line-up and once he gets a brief look-in then the big man can tonk the ball a long way. Expect a blazing Pollard coming in the near future and once he gets going, he is surely a match-winner on any given day.

All-Rounders (Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya)

Pandya brothers continue to enjoy playing for the same franchise. While Krunal Pandya has been exceptional with both bat and ball so far this season, his brother has not quite arrived yet. Hardik has done well with the ball in hand but the injury to his ankle has diverted his mind a little bit. But the impact these two are having on every game is huge and very rarely disappoint their skipper. Moreover, they also provide the much-needed balance to the playing XI which makes them the valuable cricketers for the team.

Bowlers (Mitchell McClenaghan, Mayank Markande, Jasprit Bumrah, Mustafizur Rahman)

Mitchell McClenaghan made his presence felt in the last game by picking the key wickets in the last game. The angle which he creates with his left-arm and that too at pace makes it tough for the batsmen to pick him. Long boundaries at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium will also help his cause. Jasprit Bumrah has faded away this season a bit so far and the champion bowler will be looking to make a come back with his toe-crushing in this game as he is very difficult to get away.

Mayank Markande, the purple cap holder, has lightened up the IPL this year since the tournament opener. He has grown in stature and has continued picking key wickets in the middle overs. Markande will only improve as he plays more matches and his googlies are proving to be tough for the bowlers to pick. Mustafizur Rahman has been quietly doing his job so far for his captain and his slower balls are proved to be effective. He has surely returned to form after a poor 2017 which should delight his fans.

Here’s MI Predicted XI for the game against RR

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