IPL 2025: Royals eye MI upset to keep slim playoff hopes alive – The Statesman

Fresh from a morale-boosting victory against Gujarat Titans, Rajasthan Royals will look to build on to the momentum and aim to halt five-time champions’ Mumbai Indians’ late surge when the two sides face off in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match in Jaipur on Thursday.
TRIDIP BAPARNASH | New Delhi | April 30, 2025 9:17 pm
Photo: IANS
Fresh from a morale-boosting victory against Gujarat Titans, Rajasthan Royals will look to build on to the momentum and aim to halt five-time champions’ Mumbai Indians’ late surge when the two sides face off in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match in Jaipur on Thursday.
The Royals found a new hero in 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who rose to become an overnight sensation across the cricketing world with a belligerent century that helped the Royals break a frustrating losing streak in what has been an overall disappointing campaign with mere three victories from their 10 outings so far.
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While they still have a mathematical chance of making the play-offs, the hopes could rapidly fade away against a strong MI side, that has bounced back strongly after a sluggish start and are on a roll with five consecutive victories from their 10 matches.

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Meanwhile, Suryavanshi, who came in as a replacement for a side strain injury to regular skipper Sanju Samson, proved his mettle in only his career’s third IPL match, and the Royals would hope that he continues in the same vein.
As for Samson, who last played on April 16, there is no clarity over his comeback, leaving the opening duties on the shoulders of Suryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Their 166-run stand against the Titans ensured they made short work of the 210-run target.
The way Suryavanshi harshly dealt with the Titans’ bowlers, it would be interesting to see how he fares against an attack that includes the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult. The home side will also expect the likes of Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag and more importantly Shimron Hetmyer, who has not been at his ballistic best this season, to shoulder more responsibility in giving the late acceleration to the side’s total.
In bowling, the Royals have benefitted this season greatly from Englishman Jofra Archer, who has provided the breakthroughs but needs to keep a check on the run flow. Sandeep Sharma, too, has proved to be a tad expensive. In fact, none of their frontline bowlers have an economy rate of less than 9.
For Hardik Pandya-led Mumbai Indians, the return of Bumrah has coincided with their ascent to the top of the table.
“This competition is very tough, can’t get carried away. We need to play good cricket, always prepare for the next game and keep up with the momentum going forward,” Pandya had said after the win over LSG.
One of the positives for MI in the previous game was the performance of debutant Corbin Bosch who scored at a strike rate of 200 besides taking a wicket. With likes of Suryakumar Yadav and Rohit Sharma back at their explosive best, MI seem to be peaking at the right time.
Having said that, the MI outfit, currently sitting at the second position in the IPL 2025 points table, can’t afford to be complacent against the hosts, who are well-equipped to turn the tables on their day.
Squads:
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Sanju Samson, Dhruv Jurel, Kunal Singh Rathore, Riyan Parag, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Nitish Rana, Sandeep Sharma, Tushar Deshpande, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya, Kwena Maphaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Ashok Sharma, Jofra Archer.
Mumbai Indians: Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma, Bevon Jacobs, Ryan Rickelton, Robin Minz, Krishnan Shrijith, Hardik Pandya, Naman Dhir, Raj Bawa, Vignesh Puthur, Will Jacks, Mitchell Santner, Jasprit Bumrah, Arjun Tendulkar, Ashwani Kumar, Reece Topley, Lizaad Williams, Karn Sharma, Trent Boult, Deepak Chahar, Satyanarayana Raju, Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

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After KKR had their batters producing quick knocks at a great strike rate to post 204/9 on a pitch that was great for batting, DC threatened to chase down the total via a 76-run stand between vice-captain Faf du Plessis, who top-scored with 62, and skipper Axar Patel, who smashed 43 despite suffering a left-hand injury while fielding.
Vaibhav not only became the youngest centurion in men’s T20 cricket but also the fastest Indian to score a century in the IPL, reaching the milestone in just 35 balls — helping the Royals secure their third win of the tournament.
Although Suryavanshi showed he has a deep arsenal of cricketing shots, he was not a man of many words, and understandably so after having put the entire country on notice at this age.
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