In the 45th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 the Rajasthan Royals (RR) will be locking horns with the Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. MI is leading the points table with seven wins in ten games as they registered a dominating win over the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in which star bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult picked up six wickets between them.
Despite the unavailability of Rohit Sharma, MI registered a comprehensive win as they are now well on the very of qualifying for the playoffs. However, RR is on the different side of the spectrum as they haven’t identified their ideal batting order yet. They have chopped and changed their lineup far too many times, and have struggled with consistency as a result.
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Despite the heroics of Jofra Archer, one more loss with lead to the Royals being eliminated, and will have to play out of their skins to get a win against MI. The previous match between the two sides saw Mumbai thump the Rajasthan Royals by a huge margin despite Jos Buttler’s heroic fifty. The Royals will be eyeing revenge in a contest that could make or break their playoff hopes in IPL 2020.
As the two sides prepare for a thrilling encounter, here’s a look at three key player battles to keep an eye on.
#1. Jasprit Bumrah vs Sanju Samson
While Jasprit Bumrah for sure has had the better IPL 2020 so far, Sanju Samson is the highest run-scorer for RR. He has 272 runs from 11 matches at a strike rate of 154.54. Bumrah was a little underboiled when IPL 2020 got off and Trent Boult filled in admirably. But India’s fast-bowling spearhead Bumrah has got better as the tournament progressed.
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He has 17 wickets from ten IPL 2020 games, at an economy of 7.32. He bowled a brilliant spell of 4/20 against the Rajasthan Royals. RR would be hoping for big things from Faf as they progress on their unsteady way, while MIs would love Bumrah to be firing on all cylinders as IPL 2020 is nearing the business end.
#2. Rohit Sharma vs Kartik Tyagi
Kartik Tyagi has been not been able to produce the performance he was expected ahead of IPL 2020. He will be optimistic to get his form back especially against MI skipper Rohit Sharma, whose sublime stroke play can ruin the bowling figures of some of the best in the business. Rohit is amongst the top run-scorers in the ongoing edition, having scored 260 runs in nine matches at a strike rate of 129.35. He has been ensuring a quick start for MI and he is yet to hit the heights of his capability.
#3. Steve Smith vs Rahul Chahar
It’ll be an interesting battle between Rahul Chahar and the RR skipper, Steve Smith, as the latter has not been as decisive with the bat as was in previous editions. On the other hand, Rahul will be very interested in seeing if he can find any chinks in the renowned Smith armor while the RR skipper will be looking to get his reputation back.
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Dhoni has scored 265 runs from 11 matches with a strike rate of 129.26, and Chahar has claimed 13 wickets, at an economy of 7.19. Right up there with the best. Smith represents an old lot of stars like Jos Buttler, and the fading stars of the RR playing XI, while Chahar is the future.
