On a roll: Sanju Samson leads Royals’ practice session at the Wankhede on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI
The Wankhede Stadium will don a festive look on Sunday when Mumbai Indians faces Rajasthan Royals in the 1000th match of the Indian Premier League.
To mark the occasion, the BCCI has planned a celebration. Volunteers will carry special flags, video clippings from past editions will be on display and the two captains — Rohit Sharma and Sanju Samson — will be presented special mementos.
While that will set the tone for the evening, a misfiring Mumbai Indians will be hoping to bring its campaign back on track against a high-flying Royals, who are currently at the top of the points table, despite having lost two of their last three games.
After a convincing victory against Chennai Super Kings, Royals would bank on Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal to put up a big total on a batting-friendly surface. Dhruv Jurel has been consistent in the middle-order, whereas Shimron Hetmyer needs to bounce back after a string of low scores.
With Yuzvendra Chahal and R. Ashwin together accounting for 23 wickets, spin has been RR’s strength and as Trent Boult returns, the bowling bears a settled look.
Rallying the boys: Rohit supervises Mumbai Indians’ practice session on Saturday.
| Photo Credit:
EMMANUAL YOGINI
It’s the opposite for MI, though. The team has struggled with death bowling and will want Jofra Archer, who is available for selection now, to find his rhythm.
Placed eighth in the points table, MI needs a lot more from captain Rohit and Ishan Kishan, who have each crossed the 50-run mark just once in seven outings. The team has often struggled to rebuild after losing wickets, and it’s time for Suryakumar Yadav and Tim David to be consistent.