Pace-setters Royals eye big-ticket scalp

By Charlie On Apr 1, 2022

Preview

Jayawardene v Sangakkara and Malinga, Ashwin v Ashwin, Boult v Rohit are few of the subplots

Big picture

Mahela Jayawardene vs Kumar Sangakkara & Lasith Malinga. Rohit Sharma vs Sanju Samson. Kieron Pollard vs Shimron Hetmyer. Jasprit Bumrah vs Trent Boult. M Ashwin vs R Ashwin. Saturday’s fixture between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals promises to be a mouth-watering one.

Royals have also been Mumbai’s bogey team in the recent past: since IPL 2018, they have won five of the eight games between the two sides. Their bowling attack ticks nearly all boxes, and their batting line-up boasts of dynamic T20 players who thrive on easy-paced hit-through-the-line tracks that Mumbai often serves up. However, there are questions around the No.7 spot. Is Nathan Coulter-Nile fit? If Coulter-Nile isn’t fit, then can Jimmy Neesham or Daryl Mitchell do the job for Royals?

In the news

Suryakumar Yadav is fit again after having missed Mumbai’s opening game against Capitals because of a hairline fracture he sustained during the home series against West Indies last month.

Bowling allrounder Coulter-Nile tumbled in his followthrough and left the field against bowling just one ball – a no-ball – in Royals’ defence against Sunrisers. It remains to be see whether he has recovered in time for Saturday’s fixture.

Likely XIs

Mumbai Indians 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Ishan Kishan (wk), 3 N Tilak Varma, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Tim David, 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Daniel Sams/Fabian Allen, 8 M Ashwin, 9 Tymal Mills, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Basil Thampi

Rajasthan Royals: 1 Jos Buttler, 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Devdutt Padikkal, 4 Sanju Samson (capt&wk), 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Riyan Parag, 7 Nathan Coulter-Nile/Jimmy Neesham, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Trent Boult, 10 Prasidh Krishna, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal

Strategy punt

There is a case for Royals to have Yuzvendra Chahal bowling in tandem with R Ashwin to Pollard. Both spinners have dismissed Pollard five times each in all T20 cricket.

Stats that matter

Trent Boult has had success against his former Mumbai Indians captain Rohit in T20 cricket, getting him four times in 47 balls for 66 runs

Hetmyer has struggled against Bumrah in T20s, falling to the quick three times in six innings while averaging 4.0 and striking at 92.30

Samson will be featuring in his 200th T20 on Saturday

Ishan Kishan has reeled off half-centuries in his last four IPL innings: 81* vs Capitals, 84 vs Sunrisers, 50* vs Royals, 72* vs Capitals. Can he make it five in five on Saturday?

Deivarayan Muthu is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo

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