MI vs RR is the first and only fixture in the league stage between two popular franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season. With just three wins in seven games, Mumbai Indians are keen to take maximum points. Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals (RR) will be eying a sixth win in the league this season. 

Wankhede Stadium is the venue for the IPL match 42. It is on Sunday, beginning at 7:30 PM.  

Mumbai Indians

MI’s top order was unable to find the spark against Gujarat Titans. Rohit Sharma was dismissed early in the powerplay, while Ishan Kishan made just 13. Uncapped Nehal Wadhera top-scored with 40, while Cameron Green and Suryakumar Yadav made decent scores. MI’s experienced batters – Rohit and Suryakumar – haven’t been able to make a huge impact this season. 

The bowling unit, too, has been disappointing. In the absence of Jofra Archer, who has been in and out of the playing 11 due to injuries, no overseas or domestic bowler has stepped up. Piyush Chawla is the only bowler who has consistently picked up wickets. Aussie duo Jason Behrendorff and Riley Meredith have taken 14 wickets between them but have leaked runs. 

Rajasthan Royals

After a stellar win over Chennai Super Kings (CSK), the Royals will head to Wankhede with plenty of confidence. Yashsavi Jaiswal is in red-hot form, as he crossed 300 runs this season thanks to a stellar 77 against the four-time champions. Though Sanju Samson and Shimron Hetmyer failed to find runs yet again, Dhruv Jurel and Devdutt Padikkal provided fireworks in death overs.   

Adam Zampa and Ravichandran Ashwin starred in the bowling department against CSK. Both players didn’t allow the batters to find momentum and finished the match with five wickets between them. Trent Boult, who missed the Royals’ previous fixture, could return to the playing 11 against his former franchise, for whom he has taken 38 wickets in 29 matches. 

MI vs RR Head-to-Head

MI has the edge over RR in the head-to-head meeting between both sides. The five-time champions have won 15 times, while RR has 13. <H3> MI vs RR Last Five Meetings

MI Vs RR IPL 2023 Stats

• Top Run-scorer: Tilak Varma – 219 runs (MI); Yashasvi Jaiswal – 304 runs (RR)
• Most Wickets: Piyush Chawla – 11 wickets (MI); Yuzvendra Chahal – 12 wickets (RR)
• Most Sixes: Tilak Varma – 14 sixes (MI); Shimton Hetmyer – 15 sixes (RR)

MI vs RR – Who Will Win?

MIs last fixture at home resulted in a defeat. With the Royals on the back of an impressive win against CSK, it will be difficult for the home side. The Sanju Samson-led Royals are favorites to pick up maximum at Wankhede on Sunday evening.