Around 5490 days ago, Brendon McCullum blazed away to a 73-ball 158 in the inaugural game of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which also heralded a new chapter in the sport’s chronicles – franchise cricket. A little more than 15 years later, we are about to witness the 1000th match in the history of IPL. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is planning a grand celebration to commemorate the milestone.
Amid all the glitz and glamour, the Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians will take on the high-flying Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium.
It has been a rather tough year for Mumbai, the five-time champions, with the franchise slotting in at a lowly eighth place. Mumbai would look to iron out a few flaws, and one of them is slog-overs bowling. In their last game against Gujarat Titans, they ended up giving away 77 runs, and a whopping 96 runs versus Punjab Kings. Cameron Green, Jason Behrendroff, Aarjun Tendulkar and Riley Meredith haven’t been able to execute plans.
Their woes are compounded by the fact that Jofra Archer, the pace spearhead, continues to struggle with a persistent elbow problem. The lone bright spot among the bowlers is Piyush Chawla, the veteran spinner, consistently picking up wickets. The batting unit also has had its share of problems, with Ishan Kishan‘s modest form being one of them.
Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals have a lot of positives going for them. Yashasvi Jaiswal has been in very good form, while Dhruv Jurel has made an impact down the order. Although Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson and Shimron Hetmyer have been getting out cheaply in the last few games, Rajasthan would back the trio to rediscover their form. Trent Boult did miss Rajasthan’s last game versus Chennai Super Kings, but the think-tank would believe they have enough depth to cover for any injury.
Expected conditions
The Wankhede is set to produce another wicket that would offer even bounce. The humidity is expected to be around 65 per cent, and there could be a bit of dew in the second innings.
Head-to-head
Mumbai Indians hold the edge, with 14 wins against 12 losses.
Possible XIs and Impact Player
Mumbai could be looking at Sandeep Warrier, the pace bowler, or Tilak Varma, their middle-order bat, as the Impact Player, while Rajasthan might opt for Murugan Ashwin or Riyan Parag.
Rajasthan Royals: Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Saju Samson (C, WK), Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Devdutt Padikkal, R Ashwin, Jason Holder, Adam Zampa, Sandeep Sharma, Kuldip Yadav/Trent Boult.
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (C), Ishan Kishan (WK), Cameron Green, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tim David, Nehal Wadhera, Piyush Chawla, Arjun Tendulkar, Behrendorff/Jofra Archer, Riley Meredith.