IPL 2024, MI vs RR: Decoding the key player battles
What's the story
Mumbai Indians will cross swords with Rajasthan Royals in Match 14 of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL).
Hardik Pandya's men suffered defeats in their first two assignments this season. They would be raring to open their account.
Meanwhile, RR's first two games resulted in victories.
Here are the probable player battles that can be on display.
#1
Rohit Sharma vs Trent Boult
MI need Rohit Sharma to fire in the upcoming games. He threw away his starts in his first two outings this season.
The veteran opener will have to negate Trent Boult upfront against RR. The NZ speedster has dismissed him once in six IPL meetings.
As per ESPNcricinfo, Rohit has managed 17 runs against him, with a paltry strike rate of 100.
#2
Hardik Pandya vs Yuzvendra Chahal
Hardik, who failed to ace the finisher's role in MI's first two games, would want to make a significant contribution.
He might tackle Yuzvendra Chahal as the leg-spinner has troubled him in the past.
Chahal has dismissed the dasher thrice across 12 IPL meetings while conceding just 58 runs off 62 balls.
#3
Jos Buttler vs Jasprit Bumrah
As Jos Buttler is among the best T20 batters going around, MI will aim to send him early.
Seasoned pacer Jasprit Bumrah has kept the RR opener quiet in IPL, dismissing him twice across seven IPL innings.
Moreover, he has conceded just 56 runs off 58 balls in this battle. However, Bumrah has not operated much in the powerplay this season.
#4
Sanju Samson vs Piyush Chawla
RR skipper Sanju Samson relishes playing spinners in the middle overs. But facing the veteran leggie Piyush Chawla will be a major challenge for him.
Chawla has dismissed Samson twice in seven IPL meetings.
The wicketkeeper-batter has smoked 63 runs in this battle at an impressive strike rate of 157.50. He has smashed the veteran leggie for five sixes and a couple of fours.
Details
Key details about the match
Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium will host this duel on April 1 (7:30pm IST).
This venue is known for big scores and the batters always get value for their shots.
There is some assistance for the pacers with the new ball.
The toss-winning captain is likely to elect to bowl first.
Star Sports will telecast the match, fans can also live-stream it on JioCinema for free.