IPL 2020 Match 45 MI v RR Betting Preview

Match Details
Rajasthan Royals v Mumbai Indians
Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Sunday, 25th October
16:00 SA Time

IPL 2020: Match 45 -RR vs MI Preview, Prediction, Probable Playing XI and Value bets.

Betting Preview

In the 45th match of Dream 11 IPL, a dejected Rajasthan Royals(RR) take on the table-toppers Mumbai Indians(MI). It is a must win game for RR to keep their hopes alive whereas, MI will need these two points to consolidate their place in the top 2.

Rajasthan Royals have some of the best white-ball players in their squad but most of them have failed to make the desired impact on the team’s performance. With likes of Ben Stokes, Steve Smith and Jos Buttler up their rank, their batting looks formidable on paper but they haven’t quite reflected this on paper brilliance on the field. RR has also continuously made drastic changes in their playing XI leaving their batsmen confused and unable to understand what their role truly is. Stokes looks clueless as an opener and even though Buttler has played some useful knocks in the middle order, he looks far from his best.

After having a thumping start to the tournament by winning both of their first two games, Royals have struggled throughout as they went on to lose 7 of their next 9 games. They are over-dependent on Jofra Archer for picking up wickets and barring him, they are hardly any consistent wicket-takers in the side. Kartik Tyagi had looked impressive with the ball but crumbled under pressure in the last game- giving away runs at 13.30 runs per over and failing to pick any wicket. It is their bowling that needs a lot of improvement and they need their top guns to fire now when it matters the most to have a fighting chance of making it to the play-offs.

On the other hand, Mumbai Indians have looked one of the most balanced sides of the tournament and they haven’t done much wrong in the tournament so far. Apart from two unfortunate final over losses against RCB and KXIP and their season opener against CSK, MI have completely dominated the tournament and look all set to make it to the play-offs. They come into the game after thrashing CSK by 10 wickets after reducing them to just 114/9 in their 20 overs. The major plus point for them has been the fact that there has been a new hero every single game.

They aren’t over-reliant on a couple of players and are doing well collectively as a team. They have the luxury of having world’s top 2 fast bowlers bowling for them and the duo of Boult and Bumrah has been sensational as was evident in their last game against CSK where they sent 4 Chennai batsmen back to the pavilion at just 3 runs on the board. When it comes to batting, Quinton de Kock has delivered consistently with the bat and the likes of Surya Kumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan have played their parts perfectly, setting up the stage for an in-form Kieron Pollard to come and finish the game at the back end of the innings. Mumbai have so far looked unstoppable and RR will have to be at the top of their game to contain them.

Injury and Availability News

Rohit Sharma (MI) missed out on the game against CSK due to a hamstring injury and may not be completely fit for this game as well.

Probable Playing XI

Rajasthan Royals

Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Robin Uthappa, Steve Smith (C), Sanju Samson (WK), Riyan Parag, Shreyas Gopal, Jofra Archer, Rahul Tewatia, Kartik Tyagi, Ankit Rajpoot

Mumbai Indians

Rohit Sharma (c)/Saurabh Tiwary, Quinton de Kock (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Nathan Counter Nile Jasprit Bumrah, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult

Key Players to watch out for

Jofra Archer: The only RR bowler to trouble the opposition this season, Archer has picked up 15 wickets in his 11 games at an incredible average of 19.26 and an economy of 6.61. He has been lethal with his pace and has hit the deck hard in his opening spells which have been very successful in the tournament so far. None of his other teammates even have half the total number of wickets that he does. It will be entirely upon him to pick some early wickets and exert pressure on Mumbai batsmen.

Quinton de Kock: Mumbai Indians’ most consistent batsman this season, de Kock has also been their leading run-scorer as he has amassed 368 runs in his 10 matches at an average of 46.00. He has scored a total of 4 half-centuries in the tournament and has played knocks of 53, 78, 53 and 46 in his last four matches. He looks in fine form and Mumbai will depend on him yet again to give them a solid start in the powerplay.

Jasprit Bumrah: One of the world’s best in the business, Bumrah has bowled exceptionally well this season and is Mumbai’s highest wicket-taker with 17 wickets in just 10 games. He is second in the list of highest wicket-takers this season behind Delhi’s Kagiso Rabada. His sensational spell in the death overs has turned the game around in Mumbai’s favour on multiple occasions in the past and MI will be hoping for yet another Bumrah masterclass.

Value Betting

Rajasthan Royals

Jos Buttler to be Rajasthan Royals top batsman at 2.75

Jofra Archer to be Rajasthan Royals top bowler at 1.60

Mumbai Indians

Quinton de Kock to be Mumbai Indians top batsman at 2.00

Jasprit Bumrah to be Mumbai Indians top bowler at 1.90

Prediction: Mumbai Indians to win at 0.58.