IPL 2022: Match 44 – Predicted Rajasthan Royals Playing XI vs Mumbai Indians

One of the most balanced teams in the tournament, Rajasthan Royals (RR) has secured six victories in eight league matches of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022.  Along with the seasoned campaigners, the youngsters have stepped up in crunch moments to seal the games for the team. In the last outing against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), the team posted a total of 144 and won the game by 29 runs, in a clinical effort from the bowlers.

They will be facing Mumbai Indians (MI) in their ninth league match of the ongoing season. The team management had opted to include Kuldeep Sen and Daryl Mitchell against RCB and they are expected to keep their place in this fixture as well. Overall, the team has all the bases covered and is not expected to tinker with the winning combination.

Here’s a look at the Rajasthan Royals’ predicted XI against MI

Openers: Jos Buttler, Devdutt Padikkal

The talented duo of Jos Buttler and Devdutt Padikkal are stylish players, who have been known for giving strong starts to their respective teams over the years. After the failure of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Padikkal was brought to the opening slot, where he has looked confident so far in the tournament. Although both the players were dismissed early in the last outing, they will look to return to run-scoring form.

Buttler is the current “Orange Cap” holder in the tournament with 499 runs in eight appearances at a staggering average of 71.29, and a strike rate of 159.42. He has already hit three tons and is the most valuable player for the Royals. In his last outing against MI, he hit a hundred, which was one of the key reasons for the team’s victory.

Padikkal has managed to score 199 runs in eight appearances at an average of 24.88, and displayed average performances, according to his standards. His top score of 54 came against Delhi Capitals (DC). The southpaw will hope to break the shackles and put up a strong performance against Mumbai.

Middle-order: Sanju Samson (c & wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag

After a terrific opening pair, the Royals have in-form middle-order as well. The captain and wicket-keeper Sanju Samson has led from the front since the last season. In eight innings, he has slammed 228 runs at an average of 32.57, and a strike rate of 165.21. He registered his highest score of 55 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the team’s opening match.

Coming at number six, Shimron Hetmyer has done most things right this season and has provided a late flourish in the final overs with his six-hitting capabilities. In eight innings, he has 227 runs with a terrific average of 56.75 and a strike rate of 171.96. After a low score of three in the last game, he would look to return to form.

The youngster Riyan Parag finally provided a hefty contribution of 56* off 31 balls in their last league match, which helped the team to post a respectable total, and ultimately win the match. The “Player of the Match” from the last game would be upbeat ahead of this fixture.

All-rounders: Daryl Mitchell, Ravichandran Ashwin

The likes of Daryl Mitchell and Ravichandran Ashwin mark their presence in the all-rounder category of the Rajasthan Royals team for this fixture. Both are experienced campaigners having played a lot of international cricket and are an asset in crucial situations.

The Kiwi batting all-rounder Mitchell made his IPL debut in the last fixture and returned with 16 off 24 balls. Although he contributed at 66.67, he made sure he held one end and allow Sanju Samson to launch a counter-attack against the opposition bowlers. Along with the bat, he can be useful with the ball as well.

On the other hand, Ravichandran Ashwin has scalped a total of seven wickets in eight appearances at a terrific economy of 7.18. He has contributed 56 runs as well, with his best knock of 28 coming against LSG. In the last fixture against RCB, he finished with figures of 3/17 and will hope to continue the mojo.

Bowlers: Trent Boult, Kuldeep Sen, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal

Over the years, Rajasthan Royals have not had a quality bowling attack and were hammered, especially in the death overs. However, the team management secured the services of quality bowlers at the mega auction, who have been impressed with their performances and have supported the batters well so far in this campaign. Kiwi pacer Trent Boult has continued the good form in the IPL by picking seven wickets in as many matches at an economy of 8.55.

The leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal is currently the “Purple Cap” holder with 18 wickets at an economy of 7.09. In the game against KKR, he took a hat-trick and finished with figures of 5/40. In the last game, he was economical and gave away only 23 runs off four overs.

Prasidh Krishna has scalped 10 wickets at an economy of 7.84 and has done consistently well in IPL 2022 so far. In the last game, he finished with 23/2 off four overs. The youngster Kuldeep Sen has also delivered well for the Royals this season and took a total of four wickets in the last game.

RR’s predicted playing XI for the MI clash: Jos Buttler, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Daryl Mitchell, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Kuldeep Sen, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal.