The Rajasthan Royals will be aiming to go top of the table when the side takes on the struggling Mumbai Indians in the 2022 Indian Premier League on Saturday. The RR will be paying a tribute to their first-ever captain Shane Warne throughout the game, who passed away last month due to a suspected heart attack while on a vacation in Thailand.
The Royals have been on an impressive run since the beginning of the tournament, having registered six wins in eight matches so far. In their previous game, the RR defended a lowly target of 145 against Royal Challengers Bangalore and will count themselves favourites when they meet the Mumbai Indians, who are yet to open their account this year.
As the Royals prepare to meet Rohit Sharma's side, let's take a look at their probable playing XI:
Openers RR are unlikely to tinker with their opening combination of Jos Buttler and Devdutt Padikkal against MI. Buttler is currently the Orange Cap holder with 499 runs in merely eight matches, while Padikkal has also produced consistent performances at the top since succeeding youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal in the role earlier in the season.
Top and Middle-order Sanju Samson at three, followed by Daryl Mitchell and Riyan Parag at four and five respectively. However, the combination may change if an early wicket falls – as in case during the game against RCB, when Ravichandran Ashwin was promoted at three. He played an important cameo of 17 off 9 deliveries and RR could repeat the experiment if one of Buttler or Padikkal departs within the Powerplay.
{{/usCountry}}Top and Middle-order Sanju Samson at three, followed by Daryl Mitchell and Riyan Parag at four and five respectively. However, the combination may change if an early wicket falls – as in case during the game against RCB, when Ravichandran Ashwin was promoted at three. He played an important cameo of 17 off 9 deliveries and RR could repeat the experiment if one of Buttler or Padikkal departs within the Powerplay.
{{/usCountry}}Power hitter Shimron Hetmyer has been impressive for the Royals as a finisher for the side and will continue to assume a similar role against MI.
Spin Options Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin - Needless to say, the duo has shined for the Royals with the ball and their inclusion in the side is a no-brainer.
Pacers Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, and Kuldeep Sen - Boult continues to be the leader of the pack in the pace bowling department.
RR Predicted XI vs MI Jos Buttler, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson (c/wk), Daryl Mitchell, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Prasidh Krishna, and Kuldeep Sen.
Changes from the last match While there are less likely to be changes in personnel, any changes in the batting order would solely depend on the situation in the game.