Mumbai start favourites in do-or-die match vs Royals

HEAD TO HEAD

MUMBAI : Not much separates Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals. Both have 10 points and find themselves in a do-or-die situation with three games left.

A loss for either side could virtually mean the end of their campaign while a win will come as a breather. Both are used to this pressure though. While Mumbai have been living on the edge for the past three games, Rajasthan have been in this situation for the last two matches.

Jofra Archer was sidelined for the initial games as he was nursing an injury. However, despite playing six games, he is Royals’ best performer with the ball with 11 wickets. For the record, five bowlers from Mumbai Indians

camp have 11 or more wickets. Although Hardik Pandya leads the tally with 16 scalps to his name, Mayank Markande (14), Jasprit Bumrah (12), Mitchell Mcclenaghan (11) and Krunal Pandya (11) have all contributed to help Mumbai stay afloat.

While Royals have been lacking in this aspect, they have struggled with the bat too. Barring Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson, no one averages 30. The duo has accumulated more than 44% of the team’s total run share with skipper Ajinkya Rahane managing just 243 runs in 10 innings. His counterpart, Rohit Sharma, hasn’t been in great form either and has just 267 runs, including a 94, against Royal Challengers.

Had Mumbai Indians not lost those last over ties in the inaugural stages, they would have qualified for the play-offs by now. Although luck might not have been with them, the positive aspect of their performances was that the team had been shaping up well.

Mumbai Indians Rajasthan Royals