RR eye playoffs spot against beleaguered MI

It is an all-and-nothing contest at the Wankhede stadium – all for Rajasthan Royals in their pursuit of a playoffs berth, and nothing for Mumbai Indians, who are already out of the competition. The hosts can perhaps play for bragging rights – and that proverbial pride.

Mumbai Indians, of course, disagree with that narrative, insisting that not only is pride at stake, but also the two points that could help them avoid the ignominy of the wooden spoon. Over 19 seasons, they have often competed for far greater honours than for an unflattering ninth-place finish.

"There is a lot to play for, not just pride. I am sure the fans and everyone will be very disappointed with the season we have had. With the squad and the players we had, that is something we need to reflect on and see what we need to do. But there is still everything to play for. It is not just the pride of the franchise, but of the individuals as well," coach Mahela Jayawardene said stressing the importance of the game.

This has been a season of despair for the five-time champions, with almost everything that could have gone wrong, going wrong. Injuries to key players, poor form among both the batters and bowlers, and close games going the other way have all hurt their campaign. A side that was seen as the World XI before the start of the season now risks finishing as the worst-performing team in the points table.

But the game on Sunday afternoon will still not be shorn of interest. The face-off between Jasprit Bumrah and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi could be the defining spectacle of the evening, particularly after the first round in Guwahati went the way of the precocious Rajasthan Royals opener – he had clobbered Bumrah for a six off the very first ball, a treatment he has given to many a reputed bowler.

The veteran pacer, one of the best in the business and gradually regaining his mojo, will be keen to settle scores with the teen sensation, who has taken the cricketing world by storm with his free-stroking, stature-be-damned approach.

With his growing popularity, Sooryavanshi has emerged as a major draw across IPL venues this season, and his maiden appearance at the iconic Wankhede promises to be the stuff of the box-office. It was he who bailed the side out in their last game against the Lucknow Super Giants, and his side will once again look to him to deliver as they seek to confirm their berth in the playoffs.

That was the game when Sooryavanshi batted like a seasoned campaigner. With the team chasing 221 and having lost wickets early, he produced an innings of remarkable maturity, scoring five off 10 balls and 11 off 12 initially before exploding to hammer 93 off just 38 deliveries. Known for attacking from the outset – his best after 10 balls is 36 not out – he curbed his natural instincts, studied the conditions and only then went berserk. That was the night the boy had become a man, even if at only 15.

"He's very confident. He's just so excited every day to go and play and practise. So, to be honest, we don't really have to talk to him too much. He's just in his little bubble. He practises hard and then, when he goes out to play, he just enjoys himself. So, it's pretty rare. I've been in cricket for 40 years and I haven't seen that before. Long may that last. And yeah, I certainly hope it works tomorrow," said Trevor Penney, RR's assistant coach.

When: MI vs RR, IPL 2026, May 24, at 3:30 PM IST

Where: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

What to expect: Given that it is a 3:30 PM game, the toss is unlikely to have a major bearing on the contest. However, having chased down 221 in their previous outing, the Rajasthan Royals may prefer to bat second if they have the option, even if it means taking the pressure of a must-win game.

Head to head: MI 16 – 15 RR. At the Wankhede stadium, they lead 5-4. But since 2023, the Royals have the edge with a tally of 4-3.

Injuries/Unavailabilities: MI coach Mahela Jayawardene has confirmed all players are available for selection, including Rohit Sharma who, as expected, will play as an Impact Player. The team should be led by Hardik Pandya, one last time, this season.

Tactics & Match-ups: All the match-ups, calculations and analysis may well go out of the window once the action begins. The most compelling face-off will be between Jasprit Bumrah and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. It was the latter who had won the first battle, and the time may now be ripe for the battle-hardened veteran to draw level with the whiz kid.

Probable XII for MI: Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Naman Dhir, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (c), Will Jacks, Deepak Chahar, Corbin Bosch, Shardul Thakur, Raghu Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah

Injuries/Unavailabilities for RR: Skipper Riyan Parag and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja are still carrying niggles but will be put through the paces in the lead up to check if they can make it

Tactics & Match-ups for RR: Jofra Archer has come up well against Rohit Sharma in this format previously, conceding only a run-a-ball 36 while dismissing him thrice. Sandeep Sharma has also troubled Rohit previously – giving away only 38 runs off 47 balls and dismissing him six times.

Probable XII for RR: Yashasvi Jaiswal (c), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Donovan Ferreira, Shubham Dubey, Dasun Shanaka, Jofra Archer, Sushant Mishra, Sandeep Sharma, Brijesh Sharma, Yash Raj Punja

Key Stats & Notes

• A win ensures a fourth-place finish with 16 points for Rajasthan Royals. If they lose, they will be eliminated.

• MI have used 24 players this IPL – the most by a team this season. Twice before they have used as many in a season – in 2008 and 2012.

• Jasprit Bumrah has taken just four wickets this season, his lowest tally in recent years. Only twice before has he finished with fewer wickets – in 2013 and 2015, when he claimed three wickets each. However, he had played only two matches in 2013 and four in 2015. In 2014, he managed five wickets in 11 games. In every other season, Bumrah has taken at least 15 wickets. This is his 13th season with the Mumbai Indians.

Quotes from coaches

MI coach Mahela Jayawardene on Jasprit Bumrah: "Coming back from the World Cup, he had a slight niggle, which he played through during the World Cup. So, we gave him adequate rest to come back. So for the first four or five games, it was a gradual build-up for him to get over that niggle. You could see the pace had dropped because of that. But now he is back to his usual pace. Over the last four or five games, he has been good. But obviously, when you are going through something like that, you do lose a little bit of sharpness in execution and all that because you are fighting something else. But I think health-wise he's 100 per cent. And I think teams have not taken too many risks against him in certain situations. They have played him out because we haven't been able to create pressure around him as well in the sense that the other bowlers haven't been able to create that pressure that we needed to. So, tactically, the teams have played him differently."

RR assistant coach Trevor Penney on the game: "So, it's just this one game tomorrow. Mumbai, obviously, are a World XI. They've got such a good team as well, so you can never count them out. And, as you say, they've got nothing to lose. So, they could come out playing like millionaires – which most of them already are. But yeah, it's exciting. It's nice to be in this position where we're one point clear. So, if we win, it's all in our hands and we can go ahead to the qualifiers and get up to Chandigarh."