Top 5 iconic matches in IPL between MI and RR

Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals will lock horns at the Wankhede Stadium tonight in IPL 2023. The two teams have battled 27 times in the league's history, with MI emerging victorious on 14 occasions.

MI have been quite dominant in the IPL, but they have struggled to build a winning streak against RR. Over the last 15 years, these two franchises have had some exciting matches.

Before MI and RR meet in Mumbai tonight, here's a look at their five most iconic battles.

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#1 Mumbai Indians beat Rajasthan Royals by 5 wickets, IPL 2014

Mumbai Indians qualified for the IPL 2014 playoffs in one of the most dramatic ways. MI started their season with five back-to-back losses, but they performed brilliantly in the second half of the competition and inched closer to the Top 4.

MI needed a big win against RR to advance to the playoffs. RR scored 189 runs in the virtual knockout game, and MI had to chase the target in 14.3 overs to qualify. Corey Anderson's slammed 95* off 44 balls to drive Mumbai, but they could not touch 190 in 14.3 overs.

MI were 189/5 as RR's camp began their celebrations, but then they were informed that a boundary on the next ball can take MI through to the playoffs. New batter Aditya Tare whacked a full-toss from James Faulkner over the leg-side boundary as MI registered one of the most memorable wins in IPL history.

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#2 Rajasthan Royals beat Mumbai Indians by 4 wickets, IPL 2019

Rajasthan Royals beat Mumbai Indians by four wickets in the previous meeting between the two teams at the Wankhede Stadium. MI scored 187/5, riding on Quinton de Kock's 81-run knock. In reply, RR raced to 170/2 in 16.4 overs, with Jos Butter leading the charge with 89 off 43.

MI picked up four wickets in quick succession to reduce RR to 174/6 in 18.1 overs. It looked like Jasprit Bumrah would help MI complete a comeback, but Shreyas Gopal's seven-ball 13* guided RR home in the final over.

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#3 Rajasthan Royals beat Mumbai Indians by 3 wickets, IPL 2018

Rajasthan Royals returned from suspension in 2018, and their first match against Mumbai Indians was a nail-biter. MI batted first at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium and scored 167/7, with Suryakumar Yadav scoring 72 off 47.

Chasing 168 for a win on home soil, RR slumped to 125/6 in 17.1 overs. With all the main batters back in the hut, MI were the favorites to win. However, an incredible 11-ball 33* from number eight batter Krishnappa Gowtham turned the game in RR's favor with three balls to spare.

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#4 Mumbai Indians beat Rajasthan Royals by 4 wickets, IPL 2013 playoffs

MI battled RR in the Qualifier 2 match of the 2013 season at Eden Gardens. RR scored 165/6, thanks to a 43-run knock from captain Rahul Dravid. In reply, MI were 125/1 at one stage, with Dwayne Smith slamming 62 off 44. However, they collapsed to 160/6, with bowling all-rounders Rishi Dhawan and Harbhajan Singh in the middle.

MI still needed six runs to win from four balls. Shane Watson looked in great touch as he rattled Ambati Rayudu's stumps on the second ball of the 20th over. New batter Dhawan scooped the third ball of the over for a four on the leg-side. He stole a leg-bye on the next ball before Harbhajan smashed the winning four for MI and helped his team win by four wickets.

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#5 Rajasthan Royals beat Mumbai Indians by 2 runs, IPL 2009

Rajasthan Royals locked horns with Mumbai Indians in Durban during the league round of the 2009 season. RR scored 145/7 in 20 overs, courtesy of Rob Quiney's 51. In reply, MI reached 140/6 in 18.3 overs, with Sachin Tendulkar scoring 40 off 30.

Abhishek Nayar was looking good to seal the game, as he had scored 35 runs off just 17 balls. However, he got run-out on the next ball, but MI were still the favorites as they needed six runs off eight balls.

Dhawal Kulkarni joined Harbhajan Singh in the middle. MI scored two runs off the last two balls of the 19th over, bringing the equation down to four runs off six balls. Munaf Patel received the responsibility to bowl the final over. He started with a dot, and then trapped Kulkarni in front of his stumps.

Shane Warne and Sachin Tendulkar (Credits: Twitter)

Chetanya Nanda got run-out on the next ball, with MI still needing four runs off three balls. Harbhajan took a single next, but Lasith Malinga got run out on the penultimate delivery as MI were all out for 143, losing the game by two runs. To date, it's the shortest win margin for RR in terms of runs.

Shane Warne received the Player of the match award for his figures of 3/24 in four overs.