Suffering back-to-back losses, Mumbai Indians look to get their campaign back on track when they face an inconsistent Rajasthan Royals at the Kotla on Thursday.
From five matches so far, the defending champions have been able to win only two which suggests the going hasn’t at all been ideal for Rohit Sharma and his teammates.
Their opponents, Royals, haven’t been outstanding either in this IPL, but they will neither be punching bags for Mumbai as they go into the tournament after a comprehensive win versus Kolkata Knight Riders which does keep them in good headspace. Mumbai, thus, will have to be on their toes and on the ball right from the onset.
“I think it’ll be a good match. We’ve done well against Mumbai in the recent past and both teams, I feel, are evenly matched and have a lot of quality,” said Royals’ left-arm quick Jaydev Unadkat.
The main reason behind Mumbai’s indifferent showing in this edition has been their faltering middle order that has failed to fire in unison in spite of comprising finishers like Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard.
The Royals would only want the duo’s patchy form with the bat to continue and also feel this could be their best chance to prevail over Mumbai.
“A couple of more wins on the trot can get us the momentum. We haven’t had that sort of a run yet, but it’s the right time for us to get back that momentum,” Unadkat stressed.