Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals
Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma on Thursday won the toss against an unchanged Rajasthan Royals and opted to chase at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
Mumbai made only one change - dropped an out-of-form Ishan Kishan to add all-rounder Nathan Coulter-Nile.
"We are going to field first. The pitch looks alright, looks a good pitch, better than Chennai. Looking to chase the total. This looks much better. We want to play fearless cricket, hopefully, the guys take the responsibility. Ishan is out and Nathan Coulter Nile is in. You got to pick your best XI and find the right balance as well. I think looking at the conditions and opposition we have picked our best XI," said Rohit.
Both teams have been inseparable in their 24 T20 meetings, with either side pulling off 12 wins each. However, Mumbai Indians have managed only one win against Rajasthan in their last five meetings. Both sides previously met only once at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, back in 2013/14 season in the presently-defunct Champions League Twenty20, and Mumbai had defeated the Royals by 33 runs.
"We would have liked to bowl first. We can see some grass, but I think it's good for batting and bowling. We need to bat better. We play every game in a different perspective. Captaincy is getting better and better, first game was tough. Really enjoying this role," said Sanju Samson.
Teams batting second have won six of the last eight IPL games at the venue and Mumbai have not yet chased in a game this season. And Mumbai Indians will be chasing for the first time in IPL 2021.
Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson(w/c), Shivam Dube, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Riyan Parag, Chris Morris, Jaydev Unadkat, Chetan Sakariya, Mustafizur Rahman
Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Quinton de Kock(w), Rohit Sharma(c), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jayant Yadav, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult
