Mumbai Indians will go up against Rajasthan Royals on Saturday (April 2) in Match 9 of the 15th edition of the IPL at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy. While MI lost to Delhi Capitals by four wickets in their last encounter, RR is coming to this fixture after a 61-run win against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) began the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 with a four-wicket defeat against Delhi Capitals (DC) at Brabourne Stadium last Sunday (March 27). They will next take on the inaugural edition’s champions Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Saturday (April 3) in Match 9 of the ongoing season at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai.

The RR, led by Sanju Samson, has been one of the strongest sides on paper ahead of IPL 2022. They did not disappoint on their first attempt, winning by 61 runs against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their tournament opener. Samson, Jos Buttler, Devdutt Padikkal, and Shimron Hetmyer chipped in with handy contributions with the bat before Yuzvendra Chahal, Prasidh Krishna, and Trent Boult made the contest a one-sided affair.

The MI, meanwhile, staged an impressive batting show against DC, but their bowlers could not able to give the required support. Ishan Kishan was particularly impressive, smashing 11 fours and two sixes in his unbeaten 48-ball 81, which in the end, was not enough.

Form Guide

Both sides have played one game each so far in IPL 2022. While RR registered a big-margin victory, MI ended up on the losing side.

Head to Head

MI and RR have met 27 times in the past. While the MI ended up winning on 14 occasions, the RR had the last laugh 12 times.

Predicted XIs

Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Anmolpreet Singh, Tim David, Kieron Pollard, Daniel Sams, Murugan Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Tymal Mills, Basil Thampi.

Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (c & wk),  Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Yuzvendra Chahal, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna.

Best betting tip

Rohit Sharma to score more than 27.5

The MI skipper looked in supreme touch in his 32-ball stay against DC, where he scored 42 runs with the help of four fours and two sixes. He will be looking to carry the momentum and will be aiming to snatch his first half-century of the season against RR.

Though Rohit’s records against RR have not been the greatest. In 23 innings, the Indian captain aggregated 523 runs at a strike rate of 125.5. He will be keen to improve his numbers in their upcoming clash.

Match Prediction

Considering their potent bowling unit, it should not be a tough task for RR to snatch a win against MI. So, our prediction will be in favour of RR.

Match info 

Match – Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals, Indian Premier League 2022 MATCH NO: 9, 

Date – 02/04/2022

Time – 3.30 PM IST

Venue – Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai.