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The Mumbai Indians (MI) will take on the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the second of Sunday's (April 30) IPL 2023 double-header at the Wankhade Stadium in Mumbai.
It is is a crucial game as far as Rohit Sharma and Co. are concerned as they have only won three of their seven games so far. A win will take their points tally to eight and will give them a sense of security as there are currently two more teams with the same number of points.
It will be a tough challenge for the five-time champions as they are up against one of the best sides in the tournament, who have won five out of their eight games so far.
MI's previous game was against the Gujarat Titans on Tuesday. They lost the game by 55 runs and will look to get back to winning ways. The management could ponder upon a few changes for the clash against Rajasthan.
Here, we look at three possible changes that MI can make to their playing XI for their IPL 2023 game against RR:
#1. Sandeep Warrier in for Arjun Tendulkar
Arjun Tendulkar had a tough outing against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) as he conceded 48 runs in his three overs. One of his overs went for 31 runs as Sam Curran and Harpreet Singh Bhatia took him apart. He did make a strong comeback against the Titans though, returning figures of 1-9 from two overs.
However, it seems like he is not too trusted as he has not been allowed to complete his quota of four overs in even a single game. As such, Mumbai could consider swapping Tendulkar for the experienced Sandeep Warrier.
Warrier, 32, has truckloads of experience at the domestic level and has also represented India in T20 Internationals. He had a good Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign recently and that will do his confidence a world of good.
Having also played in the IPL previously, Warrier will not have to bear the pressure of a rookie. Hence, it would make sense to bring Warrier into the playing 11.
#2. Vishnu Vinod in for Ishan Kishan
MI's INR 15.25 crore marquee purchase at the mega auction in 2022, Ishan Kishan has been disappointing to say the least. In seven outings so far this season, he has compiled only 183 runs at a strike-rate of 129.79.
While there is no doubting his talent, MI don't have the luxury of time considering their position in the points table. Hence, they could replace Kishan with Vishnu Vinod, a wicket-keeper batsman who plays for Kerela in the domestic circuit.
In 50 T20s, Vinod has scored 1,191 runs at a strike-rate of close to 140. He is not new to the IPL, having represented RCB back in 2017.
MI could make Cameron Green open the innings and play Vinod in the middle order.
#3. Kumar Kartikeya in for Hrithik Shokeen
MI could consider bringing in Hrithik Shokeen in place of left-arm spinner Kumar Kartikeya. Kartikeya played MI previous game against GT, returning figures of 1-39 in four overs.
Rajasthan's line-up comprises a few left-handers (Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shimron Hetmyer and Devdutt Paddikal), so Shokeen's inclusion could make for a good match-up.
Shokeen has played six games so far in IPL 2023, picking up only three wickets. He has conceded runs at a very high economy rate of 9.93 which is not at all ideal, but he will be hoping for an opportunity to make amends.
