RR vs MI Match Prediction: Who will win today's IPL 2024 match?
When the Rajasthan Royals (RR) traveled to the Wankhede Stadium to face off against the Mumbai Indians (MI) earlier in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL), they handed the five-time champions their third successive defeat at the start of their campaign.
Since then, a lot has changed. MI's form has shown signs of improvement, with wins in three of their last four games, even if their overall performances haven't been entirely convincing. Naman Dhir, Piyush Chawla, Kwena Maphaka, and Dewald Brevis, who featured in that contest, are no longer in the fray.
For RR, though, things have flown smoothly. The Royals are still at the top of the IPL 2024 standings, having lost just one game, and have been in good form both home and away. As they bring their Jaipur stint to a close, they will want to finish on a high.
Can MI topple the table-toppers to truly announce themselves as IPL 2024 playoff contenders? Or will RR continue in their merry way?
IPL 2024, RR vs MI Win Probability: Potential upset on the cards
MI need Nuwan Thushara to beef up their death bowling, and there's no two ways about it. Akash Madhwal has been woefully expensive, and either Mohammad Nabi or Romario Shepherd will have to make way to accommodate the Sri Lankan slinger.
Strangely, though, Mumbai have been hesitant to ring in that change. If they don't include Thushara and persist with Madhwal, the Royals could find it all too easy to capitalize at the death, with Rovman Powell and Shimron Hetmyer present in the lower order.
The Jaipur pitch hasn't been a belter, and that could play into MI's hands. If the ball stops a bit, their bowlers could come into play, and that could also reduce the effectiveness of the opposition's power-hitters. Yashasvi Jaiswal is having a nightmare campaign, and Jos Buttler hasn't looked too convincing even though he has two centuries in IPL 2024.
More to the point, Trent Boult's new-ball form has cooled off of late. The left-arm seamer hasn't been able to provide regular breakthroughs as he did in the reverse fixture, and with Nandre Burger out of the picture as well, RR might not be able to separate Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan early.
On the whole, Rajasthan are the definite favorites for this encounter. Not only do they have a more well-rounded side, but they've also been spot-on with their tactics for the most part.
That said, though, an upset could be on the cards. Mumbai's batters are slowly coming together and contributing with consistency, and a change or two could solve the bowling concerns as well.
This is a bold call, given how the two teams have played so far in IPL 2024, and could go horribly wrong. However, an MI win might not be entirely out of the realm of possibility.
Prediction: MI to win Match 38 of IPL 2024.