Upbeat Mumbai aim to keep Royals down

HEAD TO HEAD

JAIPUR: After being out of IPL for two years, Rajasthan Royals have certainly not enjoyed a good comeback. After a heavy loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad, they showed some spark with wins against Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore.

However, two big losses, against Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings, have hurt the momentum of Ajinkya Rahane’s side.

Their next contest is against Mumbai Indians, who are on an upswing after snapping a threematch losing streak with a 46-run win over Virat Kohli’s side at the Wankhede. The thrice champions, who start the tournament slowly but pick up momentum towards the business end, have a great record against Rajasthan Royals, having won 10 out of 16 meetings.

The problem for Royals has been lack of contributions from the batsmen. Skipper Ajinkya Rahane has got starts but failed to convert them into big scores. The batting relies entirely on Sanju Samson, who has responded with some great knocks, including 92 not out against RCB that gave RR a convincing victory.

The bowling, consisting of the most expensive buy (Ben Stokes) and the most expensive Indian (Jaydev Unadkat), has failed to live up to expectations so far. Spinners Shreyas Gopal and K Gowtham have been economical and have taken wickets but have not been backed up by the pacers. A consistent show from the bowlers is necessary if RR are to turn their fortunes around.

Mumbai Indians’ great record against Royals has given head coach Robin Singh plenty of confidence heading into the contest. At the press conference on Saturday, Robin Singh was confident his team can deflate Royals.

“They are coming out of two back-to-back losses, including one recently against Chennai Super Kings. We will certainly make them know that they have lost pretty badly,” he said.

Following their win against RCB, Rohit Sharma’s side has got momentum. Ishan Kishan, who was struck by the ball high on the cheek in the previous game, practiced for over 30 minutes without discomfort. When it comes to batting, Rohit Sharma and Evin Lewis have led the charge.

Mumbai Indians won Rajasthan Royals won