IPL 2021 Match 24: Mumbai Indians v Rajasthan Royals Betting Preview

IPL 2021: Mumbai Indians v Rajasthan Royals – Preview, Prediction, Probable Playing XIs and Value Bets.

Match Details
Mumbai Indians v Rajasthan Royals
Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
Thursday, April 29th, 2021
12:00 SA Time

Betting Preview

The 24th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to be held between the defending champions Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals at Arun in Delhi. Rajasthan Royals is one of the rare teams that have challenged the mighty Mumbai side consistently. The two teams have met each other 23 times and shared 11 wins each. Since 2018, RR have beaten MI on five occasions while losing only one game. However, MI will still head into the game as clear favourites.

Mumbai Indians dominated the league like no other team in last year’s edition but they’ve really struggled to get going in IPL 2021. MI have played five matches so far, losing three of those. Mumbai’s batting has been the biggest reason for their struggles. The likes of Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard and the Pandya brothers have failed to live up to the expectations. Rohit Sharma has been MI’s best batsman while Suryakumar Yadav has looked in sublime touch. Mumbai’s bowling has looked very good and if the batting starts firing, the bowling attack will do its job.

Rajasthan Royals have copped a blow after blow and their campaign has been heavily dented. Like MI, RR have also played five games and lost three. Apart from injuries and players leaving the IPL, RR have plenty of issues to deal with. Jos Buttler’s form is a major concern for the team, leaving Sanju Samson as the only reliable batter. Buttler is having his worst IPL season, scoring 89 runs in five matches at an average of 17.8. RR’s bowling has been pretty mediocre in the season, however, Chetan Sakariya has continued to impress everyone.

Injury and Availability News

Mumbai Indians will have all their players available. Rajasthan Royals are down to only four overseas players as Andrew Tye became the latest to pull out from IPL 2021. Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer were ruled out due to the injuries while Liam Livingstone left the league due to mental fatigue.

Probable Playing XI

Mumbai Indians

Rohit Sharma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Jayant Yadav, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah.

Rajasthan Royals

Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c/wk), Shivam Dube, David Miller, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Chris Morris, Jaydev Unadkat, Mustafizur Rahman, Chetan Sakariya.

Pitch and Conditions

Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi usually serves slow surfaces with significant assistance for the spinners. The venue has shorter boundaries to negate the tough conditions to an extent. The average first innings score at Delhi in IPL 2019 was 156.

Key Players to Watch Out For

Quinton de Kock: The South African wicket-keeper batter had produced two outstanding seasons for MI in 2019 and 2020, scoring 529 and 503 runs respectively. But Quinton de Kock has had a torrid season so far this year with 47 runs in four matches at a strike rate of 87. With Chris Lynn, who performed brilliantly in the first match, sitting on the bench, de Kock needs to start firing soon. The short boundaries at Delhi and the lack of quality spinners in RR should present de Kock an opportunity to get back in form.

Hardik Pandya: One of the finest products of Mumbai Indians’ scouting system, Hardik Pandya has risen to the top with his ridiculously good power-hitting ability. Hardik had two incredible seasons for MI in 2019 & 2020 where he scored 683 runs at an average of 40 and strike-rate of 186.1. However, Hardik has been miserable with the bat in IPL 2021, scoring 36 runs in five games at less than run-a-ball. If MI are to defend the title, Hardik Pandya needs to strike form soon.

Jos Buttler: If there’s one player you can almost guarantee to do well against Mumbai Indians, it’s Jos Buttler. He has scored 259 runs against MI at a spectacular average of 86.3 and has struck at 175. However, He’s having a nightmare of a season with only 89 runs to his name in five games. But with him playing against his favourite opponent, Buttler will be itching to go big. With their couple of top players missing out, RR needs Buttler to step up.

Sanju Samson: The Kerala batter is another player who loves playing against Mumbai Indians. Sanju Samson has scored 560 runs against MI at an average of 33 and strike rate of 140.7. The Rajasthan Royals skipper has played with controlled aggression since the latter half of last IPL season. In IPL 2021, Samson has scored 187 runs at an average and strike rate of 47 & 143.8, respectively. The batting responsibility could once again be on Samson.

What Bets To Take

Mumbai Indians

Rohit Sharma to be MI’s top batsman at 3.40.

Jasprit Bumrah to be MI’s top bowler at 3.00.

Rajasthan Royals

Jos Buttler to be RR’s top batsman at 3.60.

Chris Morris to be RR’s top bowler at 3.50.

Prediction: Mumbai Indians to win at 1.54.