This season, members of the royal family are in brilliant form, winning 6 out of 7 matches played so far. As a result, they comfortably sit at the top of the points table. Riyan Parag and Sanju Samson have been quite consistent with the bat, each scoring three half-centuries, and will be key players with the bat for RR. Parag is currently second in the list of top scorers this season. Jos Buttler has shown glimpses of his mastery and has already lit up the IPL with one of the most incredible centuries you’ve ever seen. His knock of 107 not out in the team’s last match was one of the best in the chase, helping RR snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. However, the form of other batsmen, including Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, and Shimron Hetmyer, has been inconsistent. Hetmyer, at least, is scoring at a very high strike rate, but all three batsmen need to do more. Yuzvendra Chahal has performed well, taking 12 wickets, and will be joined by Ravichandran Ashwin in the spin department. In the pace attack, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, and Kuldeep Sen are involved. Unlike many other teams, RR has a strong spin bowling attack and will look to tie down MI’s batsmen with their slower bowlers.
Mumbai Indians weathered a panic against the Punjab Kings on Thursday and secured their third win of the season. As a result, the team climbed to 7th place. However, with half the season behind them, there is still plenty of work ahead. Mumbai Indians still rely on their top five batters to rack up the runs. Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan have been fairly consistent at the top order, while Tilak Varma is a good middle-order player. Suryakumar Yadav and Tim David have made a couple of handy knocks and can quickly turn the game around with their ability to score crucial runs at will. The lower order will need to step up, as Hardik Pandya, Romario Shepherd, and Mohammad Nabi have had a modest season with the bat. Mumbai’s bowling attack, with the new ball, is arguably one of the best in the league. Jasprit Bumrah leads the way with 13 wickets, closely followed by Trent Boult with 12. Apart from this duo, the rest, including Akash Madhav and Shreyas Gopal, have been quite expensive.
