Mumbai Indians won the toss and decided to bat first against Rajasthan Royals in match 38 of the Indian Premier League at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur on Monday. (Preview | Follow Live)
This is the 100th match for Hardik Pandya for Mumbai Indians. Talking about the playing combination, Pandya said that Sri Lankan pacer Nuwan Thusara, Punjab batter Nehal Wadhera and veteran leg-spinner Piyush Chawla were drafted into the side.
For Rajasthan, Sandeep Sharma, who was out with an injury, is back into the side in place of uncapped pacer Kuldip Sen.
Playing XI
MI: Ishan Kishan (w), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Tim David, Nehal Wadhera, Mohammad Nabi, Gerald Coetzee, Piyush Chawla, Jasprit Bumrah
Subs: Nuwan Thushara, Akash Madhwal, Naman Dhir, Shams Mulani, Dewald Brevis
RR: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (w/c), Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal
Subs: Jos Buttler, Keshav Maharaj, Shubham Dubey, Navdeep Saini, Tom Kohler-Cadmore
With three wins in last four games, MI have hit the recovery road to reach sixth spot in the points table after a poor start this season, while RR are on a rampaging run as they occupy the top spot with 12 points.
The last time MI faced the RR bowling unit, they looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights, as Trent Boult removed three of their top-order batters for naught and the veteran left-arm pacer will again be a massive threat.
For RR, Riyan Parag has been the batter of the season. The young Assam batter has reinvented himself and his 318 runs is one of the reasons why RR find themselves at the top of the pecking order.
While the batting has revolved around him, skipper Sanju Samson too has produced some fine knocks for the team, aggregating 276 runs so far.
For MI, bowling has been a cause of concern. With 13 scalps, Jasprit Bumrah is the current Purple Cap holder. He also has the second-best economy of just under six runs but while he has been on the mark, his bowling colleagues on the other hand have struggled.
The batting has performed well for MI with Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tim David all looking in good touch. However, more will be expected from Hardik Pandya who has so far been underwhelming with bat.
