What happened the last time RR played MI at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai?

The upcoming 14th match of the ongoing 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) will witness a clash between inaugural champions Rajasthan Royals (RR) and five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI). The two sides will square off at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

The hosts have been winless so far this season. They have suffered defeats in both their matches thus far and will be looking to return to winning ways on their home ground. The Men in Pink, on the other hand, are coming on the back of two consecutive victories.

The Sanju Samson-led side defeated the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in their campaign opener before emerging victorious against the Delhi Capitals (DC) in their next outing. The forthcoming contest might be a task for them, given that it is their first away game this season.

MI and RR last faced at the same venue in IPL 2023, where the former bagged a six-wicket win. It was the 42nd match of the tournament, where RR won the toss and elected to bat first. The visitors were off to a fiery start as openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler shared a 72-run opening stand in 7.1 overs before the latter departed.

Jaiswal was the lone warrior as nobody apart from Buttler (18) and skipper Sanju Samson (14) got into double digits. The young RR opener was phenomenal with the bat as he notched up an impressive century and finished with 124 runs from 62 deliveries.

Courtesy of Jaiswal, RR got to a formidable total of 212/7 in their 20-over quota. MI’s start to the chase wasn’t ideal as the then-skipper Rohit Sharma fell cheaply for 3(5). Nevertheless, collective efforts from the remaining top and middle-order batters helped MI chase down the humungous target.

Ishan Kishan (28 off 23), Cameron Green (44 off 26), Suryakumar Yadav (55 off 29) and Tilak Varma (29* off 21) kept calm and maintained composure as they took their side closer to the target. Tim David then went berserk and notched up a 14-ball 45*, including five sixes and a couple of fours, to help MI chase down the total and grab the victory.

The two sides have faced each other 27 times, with Mumbai clinching victory on 15 occasions and Rajasthan winning 12 games. They have squared off eight times at the Wankhede Stadium, with the home team winning five of those contests and the visitors clinching the remaining three.

While Rajasthan would look to carry the same momentum in their third game and continue the winning streak, the Mumbai-based outfit would be looking for that much-needed win to end their losing run.