Royals' Bright Start Set for MI Examination

Rajasthan Royals have won two games in a row to kickstart their IPL 2026 campaign—a thumping victory against Chennai Super Kings followed by a nervy defence against Gujarat Titans. Riyan Parag spoke about 'smart cricket' and 'assessing conditions' in Guwahati.

Siddhartha Lahiri, the Royals' performance coach, cautioned ahead of their second home game: "It's a long season, we can't get excited. We are not at all over-excited with our first two games… When we win, it all looks smart. When you lose, it looks unsmart."

Royals have displayed dominance and calm under pressure but are aware they are far from flawless. They face Mumbai Indians on Tuesday—a team that looks strong on paper but had cracks exposed in their opening loss to Delhi Capitals. Hardik Pandya, who was unwell, is expected to be available.

MI's recent problems run deeper, especially away from home. Since 2023, no team has struggled more than Mumbai Indians on the road. Royals have the opportunity to pounce on this weakness, but historical data counts for little. They might be facing the strongest MI side since their 2020 title victory.

When: Tuesday, April 7, 2026, 7:30 PM IST
Where: ACA Stadium, Guwahati
What to expect: In six IPL games in Guwahati, the average first innings total is 167. There was early movement last time, but if teams see through that, expect a high-scoring contest. Chasing teams have won as many games as teams batting first. Scattered thunderstorms are predicted, which could make fielding first easier.
Head to head: MI have a minor edge over Royals (16-14). Since 2021, they have won five of eight encounters.

Team Updates

Mumbai Indians
Hardik Pandya has returned to full fitness and is expected to be available but wasn't spotted at practice on Monday.
Tactics & Matchups: Jasprit Bumrah has dismissed Shimron Hetmyer six times in T20s, conceding only 17 runs off 23 balls.
Probable XII: Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickleton, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Sherfane Rutherford, Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, Mayank Markande

Rajasthan Royals
No injuries reported, but Shubham Dubey spent a long time in the nets on Monday under batting coach Vikram Rathore's watch.
Tactics & Matchups: Sandeep Sharma has dismissed Rohit Sharma five times and Suryakumar Yadav four times in T20s, conceding 71 runs off 76 balls. He could threaten the MI top order.
Probable XII: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma, Nandre Burger, Ravi Bishnoi

Key Stats

• This is the eighth time Rajasthan Royals have won their first two games of the season—the most by any team.
• Since 2023, Mumbai Indians have won only 9 of 24 away games, the worst win-loss ratio (0.6) among all teams.
• Since 2020, MI have won just 4 out of 25 games when defending a target of 180 or below in the IPL.

Quotes
"It's still very early days for us. We have just played two games. We played two games, we have done well. It's a long season… We are not at all over excited with our first two games." — Siddhartha Lahiri, Performance Coach, Rajasthan Royals.

"As the practice has evolved in the game and the world, it's equally important for the bowlers to evolve as well… Two-three years back, you wouldn't have said that 200 plus or 250 plus are the target. The game is evolving. The bowlers have to evolve as well." — Paras Mhambrey, Mumbai Indians Bowling Coach.