MI vs RR Match Prediction- Who Will Win Today’s IPL Match? IPL 2024, Match 14

The MI vs RR IPL 2024 match will be played in Mumbai on April 1 from 7.30 pm IST. This is the first game for Mumbai Indians at their home ground. Meanwhile, this is the first away game for the Rajasthan Royals. 

Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians over the years have played 27 matches in the IPL. Mumbai have won 15 games while the Royals have 12. Interestingly, Mumbai have won four of the last five games. 

Team Analysis

Mumbai Indians

Heading into this game at home, Mumbai Indians have lost against Gujarat Titans and SRh. They lost to SRH by 31 runs chasing 278 to win. Their match against Sunrisers Hyderabad saw records galore as 523 runs were scored in the match which is the highest ever in the IPL. 

Hardik Pandya’s decisions as captaincy have been heavily criticized and spoken about. His underuse of Jasprit Bumrah, the best bowler in MI has been a point of discussion as well. He went for zero for 36 off his spell against SRH.

Playing at home, Mumbai Indians would like to come back to winning ways. They have been a slow starter in past IPL seasons as well but three losses in the trot can be trouble early on. 

Rajasthan Royals 

The Royals have won both their first two games. They won by 20 runs against LSG and by 12 runs against Delhi Capitals. They won both their games defencing. The Royals since IPL 2022 have been happy to bat first and back their bowlers to defend targets. 

They have got a good core of players delivering. Riyan Parag came to the fore with his brilliant display of shot-making. His batting at four has given enough depth to the batting lineup with Shimron Hetmyer and Rovman Powell as powerful finishers. Avesk Khan defended 17 off his final over in the previous game. He along with Chahal, Ashwin, Trent Boult, and Sandeep Sharma form the bowling core. 

Key Factors 

Pitch Conditions 

The Wankhede Stadium is a batting-friendly venue in the IPL. Scores of over 200 have been regularly posted and chased down in the league, The highest total at this venue is 235/1 by RCB against MI in 2015. The pitch has even pace and bounce with the seamers having more in it than the spinners who are taken for plenty.

Form and Fitness 

In terms of form, the Royals batters and bowlers are in better form than their opponents at home. Rohit showed glimpses of his form in the last match and needs to come to the fore for his team. Hardik Pandya has not been at his best with the bat. For the Royals, Sanju Samson and Riyan Parag have already made one match-winning contribution with the bat. 

Fitness-wise, there are no concerns with the Royals. Suryakumar Yadav has missed the first two games for Mumbai after his sports hernia surgery. His availability for Mumbai’s next game is still awaited. A BCCI official said that he might miss a few more games for the five-time champions. 

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Tactical Acumen

 Sanju Samson has been very wise with his decisions as a captain, especially with his bowling changes. He made Yuzvendra Chahal bowl at the death in the last game and his decision to bring Avesh Khan in the final over against DC paid dividends. 

Hardik Pandya’s decision to bring him inside the powerplay and save Jasprit Bumrah’s overs have been heavily criticized. He has not done the job with the bat as well so far in the first two games. A third loss on the trot will add more pressure to the management and their decision to call him back to Mumbai Indians.

Score Prediction

Recent Venue Records (Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai)

IPL Matches Played 109

Matches Won Batting First 50 

Matches Won Batting Second 59 

Matches Won Winning Toss 57  

Matches Won Losing Toss 52 

Matches with No Result 0 

Average 1st Inns scores 172

Average 2nd Inns scores 161

Who Will Score Most Runs For MI- Rohit Sharma / Ishan Kishan 

Who Will Take Most Wickets For MI-Jasprit Bumrah / Piyush Chawla

Who Will Score Most Runs For RR: Yashasvi Jaiswal / Sanju Samson

Who Will Take Most Wickets For RR: Sandeep Sharma / Yuzvendra Chahal 

MI vs RR Match Prediction- Who Will Win Today’s IPL Match? IPL 2024, Match 14

Mumbai Indians have won four of the last five games against the Royals and won the last game last year. However, seeing how they fared in the last two games, Rajasthan Royals look like favorites.

Conclusion 

After losing two back-to-back games, Mumbai Indians find themselves in a must-win situation against Rajasthan Royals at home.

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