New Delhi: Defending champions Mumbai Indians have sent the Rajasthan Royals to bat after winning the toss in a bid to avoid embarrassment in the IPL. Mumbai have made a change in the squad from the last match. They dropped Ishant Kishan due to poor form and played Australian pacer Nathan Coulter Nile. Rajasthan, on the other hand, retained the same team in the previous match.
Mumbai, who have lost their last two matches, must win this match. Rajasthan, on the other hand, are back to winning ways in the last match after two consecutive defeats. Mumbai, who came into the tournament as crown favorites, have not been able to match their hype in the five matches so far. The pathetic performance of the batting line-up, especially the middle order, has left Mumbai trailing. The bowlers are up to their role but the batting line-up is not able to give the team a good score.
Mumbai have won against Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Mumbai lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings. In batting, skipper Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav are the only batsmen to perform well so far. Openers Quinton De Kock, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Keiron Pollard and Krunal Pandya all have failed to make significant contributions to the batting.
On the other hand, the Rajasthan Royals, led by Sanju Samson, are also showing unstable performance. Like Mumbai, they have won just two of their last five matches. Rajasthan beat Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders but lost to Punjab Kings, Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Playing XI
Rajasthan Royals: 1 Jos Buttler, 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Sanju Samson (capt & wk), 4 Shivam Dube, 5 David Miller, 6 Rahul Tewatia, 7 Riyan Parag, 8 Chris Morris, 9 Jaydev Unadkat, 10 Chetan Sakariya, 11 Mustafizur Rahman
Mumbai Indians: 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Suryakumar Yadav, 4 Hardik Pandya, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Krunal Pandya, 7 Nathan Coulter-Nile, 8 Jayant Yadav, 9 Rahul Chahar, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Trent Boult
