IPL 2018: Match 47, Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals – Expectation vs Reality

Sunday is going to be an action-packed day as the Mumbai Indians (MI) and the Rajasthan Royals (RR) will face each other in the 47th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018. Both teams currently have 10 points to their name and the only reason why the latter is lagging behind is the Net Run Rate (NRR). The match will be held at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.

MI and RR are both poised delicately on the points table, knocking right at the door of the fourth play-offs slot, which is currently occupied by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) with 12 points. Hence, both the teams will be hunting for those all-important 2 points in order to gain entry into the Top 4. Before the real action begins, let’s take a sneak peek into what we’re expecting from the encounter.

Jofra Archer to repeat his stunning performance against MI

Pacer Jofra Archer’s commendable figures of 3/22 against Mumbai Indians in their previous clash had earned him the ‘Player of the Match’ award and ensured that his side won by a margin of 3 wickets. Considering how potent the MI batting unit is and the groove that they’ve been settling into in recent times has been particularly destructive for opponents, Archer will look to replicate and better his previous track record against the Rohit Sharma-led side.

Young Archer has emerged as a splendid find of the IPL 2018 and he’s already scalped 11 wickets in 6 matches. He’d be brimming with confidence from having claimed the double-whammy of Shane Watson and Ambati Rayudu’s wickets in Friday’s match against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Hence, we can expect some more mind-boggling spells from the Caribbean pacer on Sunday evening.

Rohit Sharma to dominate at his home ground

There are quite a few Cricket grounds around the world that are familiar with the havoc Rohit Sharma can wreak on the opposition bowlers once he starts yielding the willow. The Eden Gardens and the Wankhede Stadium have always been two of Sharma’s favourite hunting grounds and he’ll look to bat his way to glory against the Rajasthan side on Sunday (May 13).

MI are in desperate need of these 2 points and in such a must-win scenario, the skipper can be expected to step up and take the onus on himself. He’s blown hot and cold throughout the IPL 2018, his best knocks worth 94 runs and 56* coming against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and the CSK respectively, followed by some below average scores. Hence, he’ll look to improve on that run tally and help his team keep the dream of being able to script one of the best comebacks by any team in IPL history, alive.

Here’s the reality right after the match..

Lewis and Surya propel MI

Evin Lewis and Suryakumar Yadav were the standout performers for Mumbai once again as they once again provided their side with a good start. The former even scored 60 runs which had the platform set for the middle-order batsmen to come and rake up the runs. But they highly disappointed as the slide was started by the skipper Rohit who bagged a first-ball duck. The momentum was sucked by the bowlers of the Royals as they did well in the last 10 overs to restrict the hosts to 168 runs after 20 overs.

Buttler show

Jos Buttler was excellent once again as he scored his fifth consecutive half-century while opening the innings for the Royals. He remained unbeaten on 94 and aced the chase for his team. Ajinkya Rahane also played second fiddle to him nicely and provided the much-needed support from the other end. Royals gunned down the chase with two overs to spare and now have the realistic chance to qualify for the playoffs with two games to go. Meanwhile, Mumbai’s chances have jeopardised and they will need other results to go there way even if they finish on 14 points.

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