3 player battles to watch out for in MI vs RR, Match 14 of IPL 2024 ft. Rohit Sharma vs Trent Boult

Mumbai Indians (MI) will take on Rajasthan Royals (RR) in match number 14 of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL 2024) at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday, April 1.

Mumbai and Rajasthan are off to contrasting starts this season. While the Hardik Pandya-led MI have suffered losses in their first two games, Sanju Samson's RR have won their first two IPL 2024 matches.

Mumbai have been associated with the tag of slow-starters for several years now, and they know how to stage a turnaround. They would hope for a change of fortune as they play their first home match of the season. The five-time champions are languishing at the bottom of the points table.

On the other hand, it will be Rajasthan's first away outing. With four points and a net run rate of 0.8, they occupy the third spot in the standings. A win against Mumbai will make them table-toppers.

Mumbai's bowling let them down in their last encounter, as SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) registered a 277-run total, the highest ever in the tournament's history. Despite the daunting target, MI did not go down without a fight, finishing at 246/5 after 20 overs.

Rajasthan claimed a crucial 12-run win over Delhi Capitals (DC) in their last contest, successfully defending a 186-run total. Considering the star-studded lineups of the two teams, the upcoming MI vs RR clash promises to enthrall the viewers.

Here, we take a look at three matchups that could have a big impact on the result of the match.

Rohit Sharma (MI) vs Trent Boult (RR)

Rohit Sharma looked impressive in Mumbai's first two games, scoring 43 and 26, respectively. He will again be responsible for getting his team off to a blistering start.

However, he will be up against his old foe, Trent Boult, who has been fantastic with the new ball for Rajasthan in the IPL. In T20 cricket, the Kiwi pacer has dismissed Rohit four times in 13 innings.

Boult has a knack for picking up wickets in the powerplay, and it will be interesting to see if Rohit persists with his attacking approach against the left-arm seamer. The two would have seen each other's game very closely, given that Boult played under Rohit's captaincy for years in MI.

Jasprit Bumrah (MI) vs Jos Buttler (RR)

Jos Buttler has scored 22 runs across two innings in IPL 2024.

Skipper Hardik Pandya received a lot of flak for holding back Jasprit Bumrah after giving him just one over in the powerplay against SRH. He might be tempted to give his pace bowling spearhead a couple of overs early on in search of early breakthroughs.

The speedster's contest with RR opener Jos Buttler will be key for both teams. Bumrah has a brilliant record against the swashbuckling batter, having dismissed him four times in the format.

Buttler has struggled to score against Bumrah, managing to accumulate just 59 runs from 68 balls.

Hardik Pandya (MI) vs Yuzvendra Chahal (RR)

Hardik Pandya's batting form will be key for MI.

Hardik Pandya has been under scrutiny after taking over the captaincy reins from Rohit Sharma at MI. To make matters worse for him, he has also come under criticism for his tactical errors in the first two games.

He scored 24 runs in 20 balls against SRH and had to face the wrath of the fans for finishing with a strike rate of 120 while chasing a 278-run target. The ace all-rounder desperately needs a big score under his belt to get some confidence back.

Mumbai would want him to go after the Rajasthan spinners in the middle overs. However, Yuzvendra Chahal's crafty bowling could trouble him. Hardik has scored 58 runs from 62 runs against Chahal and has lost his wicket thrice to him.