The battle is still on as Rohit Sharma led Mumbai Indians will take on the Steve Smith-led Rajasthan Royals. Just like the afternoon game this game too means a lot to Mumbai Indians as if they win they qualify for the playoffs with 16 points whereas Rajasthan Royals will be playing for nothing but pride as they are too out of the tournament along with Chennai Super Kings.
Rajasthan Royals have had an unexpected season despite having the likes of Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Steve Smith and Ben Stokes in the side they haven’t looked in greatest of the touches. Their domestic players haven’t fired whereas their million dollars players like Ben Stokes and Jaydev Unadkat haven’t fired enough which clearly doesn’t justify the money paid.
Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, will come back into this match after a comprehensive win over the Chennai Super Kings in the last game at Sharjah Cricket Stadium as they defeated them by a whopping margin of 10 wickets. All this in the absence of Rohit Sharma in the side. With the match expected to be an exciting affair lets take a look at the five key players to watch out for.
Let’s take a look at the top 5 key players we should watch out for when Rajasthan Royals lock horns with Mumbai Indians:
1. Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes may be the best all-rounder in the world at present but he hasn’t looked in great nick this season or in the past seasons for Rajasthan Royals. He has been opening the batting for Rajasthan Royals instead of batting in the middle order which is a newly defined role for the English all-rounder.
Though he really didn’t have a great outing with both bat and ball in both games we shall all expect a big inning from the man from England very soon as he has the reputation of being a top-class player who finishes off matches for his side.
2. Nathan Coulter-Nile
The Australian pacer brings in the pace with Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah, making Mumbai Indian’s pace bowling extremely strong.
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He came into the playing XI in place of James Pattinson and hasn’t let down the Mumbai fans even by one bit. Pattinson didn’t do anything wrong to get dropped but since Nathan Coulter-Nile provides that batting depth to the batting order. In the match against Kings XI Punjab, Nathan Coulter-Nile contributed with the bat taking Mumbai to a competitive score the other day at Dubai.
3. Rahul Tewatia
Rahul Tewatia has done what the likes of Jos Buttler, Steve Smith couldn’t do for the Rajasthan Royals side this season. One can never forget those 5 sixes he hit in an over to Sheldon Cottrell during that match against Kings XI Punjab. He has been one player for Rajasthan who has been contributing with both bat and ball this season.
As a bowler, he has one of the best bowling figures playing at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Which is why watching Rahul Tewatia bat and bowl is always pleasing to the eye as there is always new to expect from the Haryana player.
4. Jasprit Bumrah
The leader of the pace bowling attack of Mumbai Indians had a patchy start to the 2020 IPL season. But ever since he started opening the bowling for Mumbai Indians in the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Sharjah, Bumrah has looked in good mojo and expected to continue the same form going ahead in the season.
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If Rohit Sharma keeps making the fast bowler open the bowling in the powerplay, we shall expect more wickets from the yorker king of India.
5. Ishan Kishan
The former India U-19 captain has been in one heck of a form this season. Ever since that 99 run knock against Kings XI Punjab at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, a lot was expected of the young batsman from Jharkhand but he kept on failing.
Then came the match against Chennai Super Kings where he opened the innings in the absence of Rohit Sharma and scored an unbeaten fifty to comprehensively defeat Chennai Super Kings by 10 wickets.