Will Rajasthan Royals Triumph Over Mumbai Indians in IPL 2025?

Jaipur, May 1 (NationPress) Kumar Kartikeya Singh and Akash Madhwal have been included in the Rajasthan Royals' (RR) playing eleven as captain Riyan Parag won the toss and opted to bowl first against an unchanged Mumbai Indians (MI) during Match 50 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium today.

Currently positioned seventh on the points table, RR must secure victories in all their upcoming matches to keep their playoff hopes alive. However, that task becomes challenging against MI, who are on a remarkable five-match winning streak. A victory for MI today would place them at the top of the points table, surpassing Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

Following the toss, Parag announced that Kartikeya and Madhwal, making his season debut, were brought into the playing eleven because Wanindu Hasaranga is dealing with a minor injury, while Sandeep Sharma is out for the rest of the tournament due to a finger fracture, as confirmed by RR prior to the toss.

“We might encounter some dew later. Generally, the wicket becomes more favorable at night. We aim to take advantage of that. We have maintained a straightforward approach regardless of the outcome (after Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s explosive century). Rahul sir has emphasized keeping it simple, regardless of whether we celebrate or not,” he stated.

“Three games back, the mantra was to take it one game at a time. If we perform to our potential, we are aware of our capabilities. We just want to give everyone the freedom to express their game,” he added.

MI’s captain Hardik Pandya mentioned he would have also chosen to bowl first at a venue where they have not secured a win since 2012. “Our focus has always been on playing quality cricket. The discussions have consistently revolved around improving, and that remains unchanged,” he commented.

“We aim to play fearlessly and not succumb to the fear of failure. While we have a target in mind, we must assess the wicket carefully. I feel confident about batting on this surface. Dew hasn’t been a significant factor,” he explained.

RR will be wearing a special all-pink jersey for the match, marking it as a ‘Pink Promise’ game. From every ticket sold and special jersey sale, ₹100 will be donated to promote women-led rural transformation in Rajasthan, including providing solar power to six homes in the Sambhar region for each six scored by either team.

Playing XIs:

Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag (captain), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Kumar Kartikeya, Akash Madhwal, and Fazalhaq Farooqi

Impact substitutes: Shubham Dubey, Tushar Deshpande, Kunal Singh Rathore, Yudhvir Singh Charak, and Kwena Maphaka

Mumbai Indians: Ryan Rickelton (wk), Rohit Sharma, Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (captain), Naman Dhir, Corbin Bosch, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, and Jasprit Bumrah

Impact substitutes: Raj Bawa, Satyanarayana Raju, Robin Minz, Reece Topley, and Karn Sharma