IPL 2022, MI vs RR prediction: Can Mumbai regain winning ways against resilient Rajasthan?

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 keeps progressing emphatically. Match 9 of the tournament will see a clash between record five-time former champion Mumbai Indians (MI) against fellow former champion Rajasthan Royals. The game will happen at the DY Patil Sports Academy Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Saturday, as we preview the clash and predict the match-winner.

Current form
MI is coming off a loss in its opening game against Delhi Capitals (DC). As for RR, it defeated former champion SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) decisively in its only match so far. Thus, momentum is clearly with the latter.

Teams strengths-weaknesses and players to watch
MI is somewhat heavy in bowling, making it its strength. However, there are hardly any weaknesses with an overall packed team with superstars. The likes of Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Ishan Kishan, Jasprit Bumrah and Jofra Archer will nail it.

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As for RR, it is marginally heavy in terms of bowling. However, it cannot be taken lightly with superstars packed in its batting. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shimron Hetmyer, Rassie van der Dussen, Devdutt Padikkal, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jimmy Neesham, Ravichandran Ashwin, Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, Yuzvendra Chahal, Navdeep Saini, Prasidh Krishna and Trent Boult can rule it for their side.

Injury concerns and head-to-head
None of the sides has any injury concerns moving into the match. In 27 clashes between the two, MI leads 14-12, while in 25 IPL meetings, MI has a lead of 13-11. In India, the two have played each other on 22 occasions, with MI leading 12-10, while their only encounter at the venue saw MI winning.

Weather and pitch report
The Navi Mumbai weather will be hot, with around 25-34 degrees of temperature and 55% humidity. As for the pitch, it is tough to predict as it has seen both high-scoring and low-scoring encounters, while it would all depend on the strip it is being played upon. Teams would prefer to chase, keeping in mind the dew.

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Probable XI
MI: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Kieron Pollard, Tim David, Daniel Sams/Fabian Allen, Murugan Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Tymal Mills and Basil Thampi.
RR: Jos Buttler (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson (c), Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Nathan Coulter-Nile/James Neesham, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Fantasy XI
Batters: Rohit, Hetmyer, Padikkal - Rohit and Padikkal will give a great start, with Hetmyre consolidating in the middle order.
Wicketkeepers: Samson, Kishan (c) - The two are in tremendous form and are no-brainers here, who can also open the batting, while the latter great form makes him the skipper.
All-rounder: Parag - He is the only lad who has fired in this department so far.
Bowlers: Chahal (vc), Boult, Krishna, Thampi, Murugan - Chahal and Murugan have been effective with their spins, while the former impactfulness makes him Kishan's deputy. The remaining trio will be deadly in the pace department, as has been the case so far.

Match details
Date and day: April 2, 2022 (Saturday)
Venue: DY Patil Sports Academy Stadium, Navi Mumbai
Time: 3.30 PM (IST)
Where to watch (TV): Star Sports 1 and Star Sports 1 Hindi (also available in HD and other regional languages)
Where to watch (Online): Hotstar
Prediction: RR wins; toss to play a vital role