Guwahati: Mumbai Indians will hope that skipper Hardik Pandya regains full fitness when they square off against a confident Rajasthan Royals unit, which will be keen to extend its early-season momentum in their IPL clash here on Tuesday.
Pandya, a key figure in the side, missed MI’s previous outing due to illness, and his absence proved crucial in their six-wicket defeat to Delhi Capitals on Saturday.
While India T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav stepped in to lead and ensured continuity, MI missed Pandya’s all-round abilities on a tacky surface.
His absence also forced a rejig in the combination. Deepak Chahar, drafted in for the game, delivered a tidy spell, but the decision to bring in pace all-rounder Corbin Bosch in place of seasoned left-arm pacer Trent Boult backfired, with the South African leaking runs.
Pandya has since travelled with the squad and returned to the nets, offering hope of a comeback as MI look to recalibrate their approach after the loss.
Shardul Thakur, who starred with the ball in their opening game, was expensive in the last outing, while the ever-reliable Jasprit Bumrah has been economical but is yet to open his account this season.
In the spin department, Mitchell Santner justified his selection ahead of Afghan mystery spinner Allah Ghazanfar and is likely to retain his place.
The MI bowlers, however, will need to raise their game against a Rajasthan top order that has been in excellent form so far.
Openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi have provided explosive starts, with Dhruv Jurel then building on the momentum.
New skipper Riyan Parag is yet to make a significant contribution with the bat but will take confidence from his leadership, particularly his tactical decisions at the death that guided the Royals to a thrilling win over Gujarat Titans.
Among the bowlers, Tushar Deshpande and Ravi Bishnoi have been impressive.
Bishnoi has emerged as the joint leading wicket-taker with five scalps from two matches, marking a strong turnaround after a challenging 2025 season following which he worked on multiple aspects of his game.
Deshpande, meanwhile, showcased his death-bowling skills by successfully defending 10 runs in the final over against the Titans, conceding just four with a series of pinpoint yorkers.
With Mumbai, currently sixth on the points table, seeking to bounce back and second placed Rajasthan riding a wave of confidence, the contest’s result could hinge on how effectively MI’s bowlers handle the Royals’ in-form top order.
Squads:
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Rajasthan Royals: Riyan Parag (c), Dhruv Jurel, Donovan Ferreira, Lhuan-Dre Pretorius, Ravi Singh, Aman Perala, Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Adam Milne, Brijesh Sharma, Jofra Archer, Kuldeep Sen, Kwena Maphaka, Nandre Burger, Ravi Bishnoi and Sandeep Sharma.
Mumbai Indians: Hardik Pandya (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Danish Malewar, Robin Minz (wk), Ryan Rickelton (wk), Sherfane Rutherford, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Atharva Ankolekar, Raj Bawa, Corbin Bosch, Will Jacks, Mayank Rawat, Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Shardul Thakur, Tilak Varma, Ashwani Kumar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Deepak Chahar, AM Ghazanfar, Mayank Markande, Mohammad Izhar, Raghu Sharma.
Match starts 7:30pm IST.
