Jaipur: Reeling at ninth on the points table with only three wins in ten outings, Rajasthan Royals are clinging to faint playoff hopes and will be banking heavily on teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi and opener Yashasvi Jaiswal to deliver again when they face a red-hot Mumbai Indians in Match 50 of the IPL at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here on Thursday.
Having suffered five successive defeats, RR finally returned to winning ways with a spectacular chase of 210 runs against Gujarat Titans, thanks to a 35-ball century by 14-year-old Suryavanshi—the second-fastest in IPL history. Jaiswal provided firm support with an unbeaten 70 off 40 balls as Rajasthan cruised home in just 15.5 overs.
Despite that morale-boosting win, Rajasthan remain in a precarious position. Their middle-order, comprising Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer and Nitish Rana, has struggled for consistency. With only 187 runs in nine games, Hetmyer’s underperformance has particularly hurt Rajasthan's cause.
On the bowling front, Jofra Archer has been the lone bright spot, claiming 10 wickets at an economy rate of 9.57. Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana have picked up wickets but have leaked runs at crucial moments, while pacers Tushar Deshpande and Sandeep Sharma have lacked discipline.
In contrast, Mumbai Indians enter the contest with five straight wins and a surge in momentum. Sitting second on the table with 12 points from 10 games, the Hardik Pandya-led side thrashed Lucknow Super Giants by 54 runs in their last outing, amassing 215 for 7.
The backbone of Mumbai's batting has been Suryakumar Yadav, who is in sublime form with 427 runs from nine matches at an average of 61 and a strike rate of 169.44. His last three scores - 68* off 37, 40* off 19, and 54 off 28, underline his dominance in the middle order. Tilak Varma and Naman Dhir have provided useful cameos, while skipper Pandya has contributed with both bat and ball.
Mumbai’s bowling unit is finding its rhythm at the right time. Jasprit Bumrah returned to form with a 4 for 22 performance against LSG, while Trent Boult has been effective in the powerplay and at the death. Deepak Chahar has eight wickets to his name, though he remains expensive in the latter overs. Corbin Bosch, a recent inclusion, impressed with a quickfire 20* and figures of 1 for 26.
The pitch at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium is expected to be balanced, with true bounce assisting batsmen who can settle early. Dew in the evening could hamper spinners, making bowling first a preferred choice. Historically, the venue favours chasing sides, with 39 of the 61 domestic T20 matches played here won by the team batting second.
Weather conditions are set to be hot and dry, with no threat of rain. Temperatures are expected to hover around 30–34°C during match hours, and cloud cover could increase later in the evening without causing any interruptions.
RR won their last head-to-head meeting against Mumbai on April 22, 2024, chasing down 179 for 9 with ease. But Mumbai’s current form makes them the favourites this time around, with bookmakers placing them ahead with a 59% win probability compared to RR’s 41%.
Should Rajasthan fail to secure victory, they will all but crash out of the playoff race. For RR to pull off an upset, their young opening duo of Suryavanshi and Jaiswal must once again fire against the pace duo of Boult and Bumrah.
