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The Mumbai Indians (MI) will play their first home game of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) when they host the Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday, April 1. The two sides are currently at the opposite ends of the table, with the five-time champions looking for their first win of the season.
MI and RR have had memorable battles in the past, and when it comes to their head-to-head record, there is only little to separate these two sides. Out of the 28 meetings between them, MI have notched 15 wins, while one contest ended as a no-result.
Even the most recent contest between these sides witnessed history after MI recorded one of the highest run chases in IPL history. Yashasvi Jaiswal smashed a ton in a losing cause, while Suryakumar Yadav's brilliance coupled with Tim David's imperious finish gave MI the points.
On that note, let us take a look at the three best MI-RR matches in IPL history.
#1 MI vs RR (IPL 2010; Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai)
The two teams produced a high-scoring thriller in their season opener back in 2010. MI skipper Sachin Tendulkar won the toss and opted to bat first in the afternoon encounter at the iconic Brabourne Stadium.
MI made a spirited start, but could not overthrow the opposition after losing wickets at regular intervals. The young middle order pair of Ambati Rayudu and Saurabh Tiwary joined forces at 70/3 to forge a 110-run partnership, with both batters recording their respective fifties.
Chasing a daunting 213-run target, RR found themselves in trouble from the word go. Opening batter Swapnil Asnodkar was run out without even facing a ball, while the rest of the top order crumbled as well, with the scoreboard reading 66/4.
It was at this point when Yusuf Pathan began clobbering the bowlers around all corners of the park. At the other end, Paras Dogra played the perfect second-fiddle role and scored 41 crucial runs.
Yusuf Pathan scored a 37-ball hundred, which remains the fastest by an Indian till date. Pathan's exploits kept the team in the game, but his unfortunate run-out became the turning point in the end.
Pathan's dismissal left the Royals at 173/5, and the lower order could not keep up in the death overs, leading to a narrow four-run loss.
Despite being on the losing side, Yusuf Pathan was crowned Player of the Match for playing one of the most destructive innings in T20 history.
#2 MI vs RR (IPL 2018; Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur)
MI and RR faced each other in Jaipur for the first time in five years during the 2018 edition of the IPL.
After opting to bat first, MI lost Evin Lewis for a golden duck to Dhawal Kulkarni. Suryakumar Yadav, opening the innings, scored a fifty and shared a mammoth 129-run partnership with Ishan Kishan.
However, Jofra Archer led the fightback for RR in the latter portion of the innings. The speedster dismissed the Pandya brothers, while Rohit Sharma was run out for a duck and Kieron Pollard struggled for a run-a-ball knock, causing the innings to come to a screeching halt at 167/7.
During the run chase, RR had a wobbly start, but the duo of Sanju Samson and Ben Stokes stabilized the innings. Just as a platform was set at 110/2, RR collapsed to 125/5 courtesy of the MI pacers.
When all looked lost, Krishnappa Gowtham played an inspiring cameo of 33 runs off just 11 balls. He took apart Jasprit Bumrah, who went for 18 runs in the penultimate over, and finished off the run chase with a couple of balls to spare.
#3 MI vs RR (IPL 2014; Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai)
It is not every day that you see Rahul Dravid throw his cap onto the ground out of anger, but such was the intensity in the 2014 IPL's last league match.
The stage was well set at Wankhede Stadium for the final place in the playoffs with MI and RR both competing for the same spot. The visiting side had the advantage in the form of net run-rate, and they were the overwhelming favorites to qualify for the knockouts after amassing 189-4 in the first innings.
Sanju Samson and Karun Nair's fifties overshadowed Shane Watson's dismal innings at the top. Brisk cameos from the Australian duo of Brad Hodge and James Faulkner put RR in the driving.
A 190-run target is hardly daunting at the Wankhede, but when it has to be scaled in just a little over 14 overs, it becomes scary. MI had to chase down the score with more than five overs to spare to cover the net run rate difference and qualify.
MI lost wickets at regular intervals in the run chase, but their ultra-aggressive approach meant that they were still in the hunt. With Corey Anderson going berserk from one end, the others chipped in with cameos to keep MI alive.
It became clear at the halfway mark that MI would win the contest comfortably, but the question of how comfortable was still lingering in the air. Anderson kept pushing to score 95 runs off 44 deliveries while Ambati Rayudu's brilliant 10-ball 30-run cameo was a major catalyst.
MI had the finishing line within sight, but faltered when two runs were required off the final ball. Ambati Rayudu was run out after taking one run, and all was seemingly lost for MI.
However, calculations meant that MI still had a chance to qualify if they scored the boundary off the very next ball, taking their total to 195-5 in 14.4 overs, and the net run rate would trump RR's.
Aditya Tare arguably played one of the greatest one-ball innings in cricket history when he hit James Faulkner's full toss for a six to trigger pandemonium in the MI camp and the Wankhede.
