3 player battles to watch out for in RR vs MI, Match 50 of IPL 2025 ft. Vaibhav Suryavanshi

Rajasthan Royals (RR) will host Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 50th match of IPL 2025 on Thursday, May 1, at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Both teams are currently experiencing contrasting campaigns, with MI on a five-match winning streak and RR having just bounced back to winning ways after a string of losses.

MI secured their fifth consecutive victory by defeating Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in their last outing at the Wankhede Stadium. RR experienced a dramatic turnaround in their previous game against the Gujarat Titans (GT).

The youngest player of IPL 2025—Vaibhav Suryavanshi—achieved the second-fastest century in IPL history, guiding his team to a remarkable win. With that performance, RR completed the fastest 200+ run chase in T20 history, achieving the target in the 16th over.

Both teams are in good form and will aim to maintain this momentum when they face off against each other. On that note, here are three player battles that could define the upcoming contest:

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#3 Riyan Parag vs Trent Boult

Riyan Parag has contributed solidly with the bat this season, batting in both the top and middle order based on the team’s needs. He has scored 266 runs from 10 outings this season and currently leads the side in the absence of Sanju Samson, who is sidelined due to injury.

Trent Boult, who transferred to MI after representing RR in the previous IPL cycle, has been performing excellently for the Men in Blue and Gold. With MI having a wealth of new ball bowlers and some fine pacers among them, Parag will face a formidable challenge, especially against Boult, with whom he has previously shared the dressing room.

Riyan Parag has scored 15 runs off the seven deliveries he faced against Boult in T20s, while the latter has dismissed Parag once in their sole innings.

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#2 Rohit Sharma vs Jofra Archer

Former MI skipper Rohit Sharma, who turned 38 on Wednesday, had a rocky start to his campaign but has come out firing in recent outings. In the last three games, he has recorded scores of 76*, 70, and 12.

Having regained his form, the opening batter will look to continue his strong performance against RR. Opening the innings, he’ll face a skillful pacer in Jofra Archer, against whom he has scored 28 runs off 29 deliveries over seven innings.

The Englishman has dismissed the Indian Test and ODI captain three times in those matches.

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#1 Vaibhav Suryavanshi vs Jasprit Bumrah

The 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi—the latest centurion in the IPL—will face a significant challenge when he goes up against one of the finest bowlers in the world - Jasprit Bumrah. While the RR rookie achieved a record-breaking ton in his most recent outing, the MI ace took a four-wicket haul in his previous match.

Suryavanshi held nothing back against GT, showcasing his six-hitting abilities against both pacers and spinners. He amazed everyone by hitting one of the senior-most bowlers in the IPL—Ishant Sharma—for back-to-back maximums and boundaries.

While his team and RR fans hope for the youngster to replicate that performance, Bumrah will look to disrupt his momentum and provide MI with a crucial breakthrough early in the powerplay.