Mumbai Indians (MI) will take on Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the 20th match of IPL 2020.
The match will take place in the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi.
Overall, in IPL 2020, MI have played 5 games and won 3, whereas RR have played 4 games and won just 2.
Head to Head
The Head to Head between these two teams is bang even.
In total, they have played 21 matches and have shared the spoils winning 10 matches each.
The crucial stat about this head to head is that the last 4 games were won by RR. In other words, RR has not lost to MI since 2018.
Squads
Top Players of MI & RR
MI:
Rohit Sharma: He got out early at Sharjah against SRH, but had a good day captaining his side as they comfortably defeated SRH in that match. This year he has scored 176 runs at a strike rate of 144.26 but has performed well in only 2 games out of the five he has played. He would want to score more consistently in the remaining matches. If we look at his record against RR, he has played 20 innings in which he scored 455 runs at an average of 22.75 and a strike rate of 124.31. This shows that he hasn't particularly enjoyed playing against RR.
K Pollard: He has looked devastating with the bat in the last 3 innings he has played. His badgering streak of 25* off 13, 60* off 24, 40* off 27 speaks for itself. Apart from his dismissal in the first match, he is yet to get out. MI would want him to perform in this match to turn the tables around and get their first win against RR in 2 years!
J Bumrah: He has looked a bit scratchy in patches yet brilliant in some others. He was expensive against SRH but was splendid against KXIP. MI would want their number 1 bowler to be more consistent with the ball.
Q de Kock: With his 67 runs off 39 balls against SRH, he seems to have found his lost touch again. His return to form and the match versus RR is good news for MI. He has a superb record versus RR - in 4 innings against them he has scored 2 fifties, averaged 53.50 and scored at a strike rate of 141.72!
H Pandya: He played a quick-fire inning of 30 off 11 balls against KXIP and also had a decent outing against SRH in Sharjah.
RR:
S Smith: The RR captain has a fantastic record against MI. He has scored 4 fifties and batted at an average of 51.50 against MI. He hasn't clicked in the previous two matches of RR which they lost. RR would want their captain to be back amongst the runs, and now that we know he loves playing against MI, there is every chance that he would perform well in this match.
R Uthappa: He has been abysmal this year. In four matches he has scored only 33 runs at a paltry strike rate of 78.57. Looking at his performances so far he might not play in this match.
J Archer: He has bowled excellently in this tournament. In the previous match against RCB he had excellent figures; he bowled 4 overs, picked up a wicket and gave away only 18 runs. With the strong MI bowling line-up, there are chances that he might get an opportunity to use his long handle as well.
S Samson: The problem with S Samson is his consistency. He was brilliant in the first two matches but got out early in the next two. He has to perform consistently well to not only lift his franchise but also get himself an opportunity to play for India.
J Buttler: He has had starts but so far has failed to capitalize on it. He has a solid record against his former side - in 3 innings against MI he has scored 189 runs at a strike rate of 181.73 and scored 2 fifties.
Likely Playing 11
Other Players to watch out for
R Chahar (MI): His leg-spin versus S Smith & S Samson could be an exciting spell to watch.
R Tewatia (RR): He has looked pretty solid with the bat and consistent with the ball as well. He could play a major role versus MI.
On paper and in form, MI seem to be set favourites for the match. But if we look at their recent records against each other, it seems that RR has a slight edge. Despite MI's dismal record against RR in the last two years, I am going with MI for the win, What about you?
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