IPL 2018: Match 47, Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals - Toss Report

Rajasthan Royals won the toss and decided to field first against Mumbai Indians in the forty-seventh match of the Indian Premier League at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.

Here is what the captains said:

Ajinkya Rahane:

“We’ll bowl first. Looks a very good wicket. High scoring ground and dew comes later here. We have to play good cricket for 40 overs. First 6 overs will be crucial. We have D’Arcy Short in for Ish Sodhi, who’s not well. Shreyas Gopal and Dhawal Kulkarni come in.”

Rohit Sharma:

“Not really worried about dew. Last 6 overs, you have to expect some dew but it’s our home ground, we have played here. We played a few games here where we have bowled second. There’s no secret to winning games. We have performed collectively as a unit. Someone has put his hand up and taken up the responsibility. Same team for us.”

Preview:

The last time these two teams had met in the league, Krishna Gowtham had emerged as the unlikely hero to fire Royals to a thrilling win. Mumbai’s campaign was in shambles back then while Royals were struggling for consistency. At present, both the teams’ playoff hopes are hanging by a fine thread. Both the teams have 5 wins in 11 games and a defeat can pretty much end their season tonight.

Both the teams will be oozing with confidence at the moment. Defending champions Mumbai Indians had stormed into the top-four of the points table with back-to-back wins over Kolkata Knight Riders before being thrown out. However, a win tonight will take them back to number four. On the other hand, Royals are also breathing down their neck. Wins over Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings would have done Royals’ confidence a world of good and they will be looking to extend their winning run against the resurgent Mumbai.

With so much at stake, the upcoming game is looking set to be a blockbuster.

Playing elevens:

Rajasthan Royals:

Jos Buttler(w), D Arcy Short, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Sanju Samson, Ben Stokes, Stuart Binny, Jofra Archer, Krishnappa Gowtham, Shreyas Gopal, Jaydev Unadkat, Dhawal Kulkarni

Mumbai Indians:

Suryakumar Yadav, Evin Lewis, Rohit Sharma(c), Ishan Kishan(w), Hardik Pandya, Ben Cutting, Krunal Pandya, Jean-Paul Duminy, Mitchell McClenaghan, Mayank Markande, Jasprit Bumrah