In what is expected to be a thrilling affair, Mumbai Indians take on Rajasthan Royals in their upcoming IPL 2024 fixture, on Monday. MI are currently winless and bottom of the points table. Meanwhile, RR are third and have won both their games this season.

MI have been disappointing this season and Hardik Pandya’s reign as captain hasn’t gone according to the plan. Hardik rejoined MI in a shock transfer ahead of the auction last year. He was released by MI in 2022, joining Gujarat Titans, who immediately made him captain. He led GT to the title in their debut season, followed by a runners-up finish.

His captaincy stint with GT won laurels but plenty of questions are being asked of him this year. Prior to becoming captain, he only opened the attack six times in 92 IPL matches. Since becoming captain in 2022, he has opened the bowling in 17 occasions out of 33 fixtures. This season, he has opened the bowling in both games for MI. Meanwhile, holding Jasprit Bumrah for his second over till the 13th against Sunrisers Hyderabad turned out to be the wrong decision.

On the other hand, RR have had a sensational start this season. Skipper Sanju Samson has been in good form and Riyan Parag is finally justifying his selection. In the bowling front, Sandeep Sharma has rolled back the years with strong displays and Trent Boult has led the pace battery with domination.

Despite their good form, RR will hope that opener Jos Buttler bounces back to form. Last year, he got five ducks. This season he has only managed scores of 11 in both games. It will be key for RR if he comes back to form as dropping him is not possible.

MI vs RR head-to-head records

In IPL history, both sides have met 27 times, with MI leading 15-12 in terms of head-to-head. The last time both sides met was in 2023, when MI defeated RR by six wickets.

MI vs RR fantasy team

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma, Sanju Samson (c), Tilak Varma, Riyan Parag, Tim David, Hardik Pandya, Gerald Coetzee, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult

MI vs RR pitch report

Last year, the Wankhede Stadium saw five out of seven matches won by the chasing team, which could force the skipper winning the toss to bowl. The pitch is expected to leak runs so it could be a high-scoring game.

MI vs RR weather

The temperature in Mumbai is expected to be around 30 degrees Celsius in the evening. It will be very warm and humid during the match. There is no chance of rain.

MI vs RR win prediction

According to Google’s win predictor, MI have a 55 percent chance of claiming victory. Meanwhile, RR has a 45 percentage chance.