IPL 2021, Match 51: RR vs MI, Stats Preview: Player records and approaching milestones

In what can be called a virtual knock-out match of sorts, Mumbai Indians will meet Rajasthan Royals in match 51 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. With three of the four playoff spots already sealed, only the fourth position is up for grabs. RR and MI are standing equidistant from the spot and they must win the upcoming game to get ahead in the race.

Having won five of their 12 games, RR and MI are currently holding sixth and seventh place in the team standings respectively. It indeed has been an unfortunate turnaround for the defending champions as they failed to perform as a unit. While there are several loopholes in the ship, middle-order woes have hurt MI the most. Hence, they must overcome this season to change their fortunes.

On the other hand, RR’s confidence would be sky high after a comprehensive seven-wicket win against Chennai Super Kings. However, MI possesses a better bowling attack, and defeating them at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium won’t be easy.

Meanwhile, let’s look at important stats and numbers ahead of the 51st game of the Indian Premier League 2021:

Head to Head record: MI are just a tad ahead of RR in terms of head-to-head record in IPL. In 24 clashes, Mumbai won 12 games while Rajasthan came on top. One of their encounters got washed out.

5 – Since 2018, Rajasthan Royals have won 5 games out of 7 matches they have played against Mumbai Indians.

3 – Hardik Pandya needs to clear the fence thrice to complete 100 sixes in the IPL.

2 – Rohit Sharma is two big hits away from completing 400 sixes in T20 cricket. He’ll become the first Indian and seventh overall player to get the landmark.

41 – David Miller is 41 runs shy of completing 2000 runs in the Indian Premier League.

2– Mustafizur Rehman needs two wickets to become the second bowler to take 50 T20 wickets in 2021. Rashid Khan (54) tops the list.

1– Ishan Kishan has so far scored 999 IPL runs in 39 innings for Mumbai Indians. He just needs a solitary run to complete 1000 IPL runs for MI. Kishan would be the 10th player to do so.

2– Shreyas Gopal is two wickets away from completing 50 wickets in IPL. So far, he has scalped 48 wickets in 47 games.

84 – Glenn Phillips needs 84 runs to become the second-highest run-getter in T20 cricket in 2021. While he has slammed 1277 T20 runs this year, Babar Azam is ahead of him, with 1363 runs.

4 – Chris Morris needs four wickets to become the South African with most IPL wickets. Dale Steyn currently leads the chart with 97 wickets.

22.91 – Rohit Sharma averages 22.91 against Rajasthan Royals in IPL, which is the lowest among all the teams against which he played 20+ IPL matches.