Mumbai Indians are on board and captain Rohit Sharma is back amongst the runs, they now travel to Jaipur to take on Rajasthan Royals, a team which went for all the big-money signings this season, but has not been able to string together wins at a stretch.
Both teams are locked in a mid-table muddle and would want to break away from the rest of the pack as soon as possible.
We take a look at the 5 players battles which might have a significant impact on the match.
Also read: IPL 2018: Match 21 (RR vs MI) – Stats Preview
Jasprit Bumrah vs Ajinkya Rahane
The battle between two clutch Indian players right at the top of the innings.
Ajinkya Rahane, the captain has been in good hitting form, he has taken the attack to the opposition right from the outset and this is where Jasprit Bumrah can pose a threat to not only him but for the rest of batting attack.
Bumrah will take the new ball and this is where Mumbai Indians need to break the match right open with wickets with the new ball.
Jaydev Unadkat vs Evin Lewis
Jaydev Unadkat grabbed the highest price at the auctions but has not been able to translate the performances into the matches.
He has been going for plenty of runs and even his variations are not proving to be potent enough.
He will be up against Evin Lewis, and the West Indian has looked very dangerous at the top and looks to be the million dollar man Mumbai signed up.
Shreyas Gopal vs Rohit Sharma
Teams around this IPL are not shy of using leg spinners against the Mumbai Indians skipper and Ajinkya Rahane might throw the ball to the young man as soon as Rohit walks out to bat.
However, Sharma has announced his arrival with a sublime 94 against Royal Challengers Bangalore and should back himself to take down Gopal.
Having said this, Gopal has been getting important wickets right through the competition, and if he manages to prize Rohit out, it could well have a telling impact on the match.
Mayank Markande vs Ben Stokes
Hailed as the find of the season, young leggie Mayank Markande has been impressive in all the matches so far. However, he might well find his biggest test in the form of Ben Stokes and how he comes out from this match will give us a better indication of his temperament.
Stokes, on the other hand, has not yet his stride, but such is his pedigree that he can flick on that switch and get going at any point during the tournament. He loves sweeping the spinners and with his long levers can reach out close to the pitch of the ball, which might negate Markande’s spin.
Another contest which promises to be an interesting watch!
Mustafizur Rahman vs Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson has been in prolific form in this season so far, and he has been the best batsman for Rajasthan Royals.
His contributions at the top of the order have been critical for Royals, but he will face a potent threat in the form of Mustafizur Rahman.
The Bangladeshi has not been at the top of his game but has the skills to trouble batsmen and Sanju, who likes to go after the bowling attack, will have to be careful against him.
