IPL 2022: MI vs RR Dream11 Prediction, Fantasy Tips, Possible Playing 11, Match Prediction

Ishan Kishan and Jos Buttler will be smart fantasy team picks as guaranteed starters for their franchise

Mumbai, March 31: Mumbai Indians will look to bounce back when they take on confident Rajasthan Royals in match 9 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday (April 2).

In their season opener, Rohit Sharma's MI maintained an unwanted record of failing to win their season opener against Delhi Capitals, while RR inspired by their skipper Sanju Samson and the bowlers got their campaign off to a rollicking start with victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad.

While MI suffered a 4-wicket loss defending a target of 178 and currently occupy the ninth spot, RR claimed a 61-run win against SRH to boost their Net Run Rate (NRR) and take pole position.

Although it's pretty early in the season to be looking at the points table, a boost in NRR is always good and RR will hope to maintain a healthy one as the season progresses. MI, who missed the play-offs due to a lower NRR. will know all about a high NRR as well.

RR may be riding high on confidence after their campaign opening win, but they will be wary of MI, who will be boosted by the return of Suryakumar Yadav. Plus, Rohit's side also hold an advantage in the head-to-head battles between the two sides.

In 25 meetings between the two teams so far, MI has won 13 times and RR has won 10 times, while 1 match has ended in no result. In the last 5 meetings, MI leads 3-2 against RR.

Heading into Saturday's double-header, both teams will have almost full squads to pick their 11 from. But it's very unlikely that RR will change the winning combo. MI though will ring some changes with the return of Suryakumar.

At the Dr DY Patil Stadium, the five-time champions MI have won 5 in 7 including one against their opponents on Saturday (April 2) back in 2008, when Royals also later won their only other match at the venue, the one which crowned them as inaugural champions.

Now, let's take a look at the squads, possible playing 11s, dream11 fantasy picks and match prediction for MI vs RR 2022:

MI and RR Squads

Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (captain), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Suryakumar Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Tim David, Jasprit Bumrah, Daniel Sams, Riley Meredith, Tilak Varma, Anmolpreet Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Dewald Brevis, Rahul Buddhi, Fabian Allen, Hrithik Shokeen, Arjun Tendulkar, Sanjay Yadav, Aryan Juyal, Arshad Khan, Jaydev Unadkat, Mayank Markande, Tymal Mills, Murugan Ashwin, Basil Thampi.

Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (captain/wicketkeeper), Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Prasidh Krishna, Riyan Parag, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Devdutt Padikkal, Navdeep Saini, Karun Nair, Rassie van der Dussen, James Neesham, Anunay Singh, Daryl Mitchell, Dhruv Jurel, Shubham Garhwal, Kuldip Yadav, Kuldeep Sen, Obed McCoy, Tejas Baroka, KC Cariappa.

MI and RR Possible Playing 11s

MI XI: Rohit Sharma (captain), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Kieron Pollard, Tim David, Daniel Sams/Fabian Allen, Murugan Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Tymal Mills, Basil Thampi.

RR XI: Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson (captain/wicketkeeper), Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Nathan Coulter-Nile/James Neesham, R Ashwin, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal.

MI vs RR Dream11 Best Picks – Team 1

Jos Buttler, Ishan Kishan (captain), Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Suryakumar Yadav, Shimron Hetmyer, Kieron Pollard, Tim David, R Ashwin, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal (vice captain).

MI vs RR Dream11 Best Picks – Team 2

Rohit Sharma (captain), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Sanju Samson (vice captain), Suryakumar Yadav, Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, James Neesham, Murugan Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal.

MI vs RR Dream11 Best Picks – Team 3

Jos Buttler (captain), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Suryakumar Yadav (vice captain), Devdutt Padikkal, Tilak Verma, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, R Ashwin, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Basil Tampi.

MI vs RR Match Prediction

Boosted by the return of Suryakumar Yadav, Mumbai Indians will be confident heading into the match with the middle order kind of sorted, but their bowlers will need to be at the top of their game to contain the high-flying Royals batters. MI will also be wary of the pace duo of RR and most importantly the Royals' spin twins, who kept the scoring low in their previous outing.

RR seem strong on paper, but the return of Suryakumar may just be the boost MI needed to get their campaign off the mark. But the spin duo of RR will be a threat in case MI are chasing a steep target.

So far the two teams chasing have won the match at Dr DY Patil Stadium. However, both the matches were very different as one was a high-scoring match with the most recent being a low-scoring thriller. The pattern of chasing teams winning could continue. Even though this is an afternoon match, toss will play a crucial role once again.

Story first published: Thursday, March 31, 2022, 19:16 [IST]

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