Hardik Pandya To Drop Maphaka & Mulani; MI's Probable XI For IPL 2024 Match vs RR

Debashis Sarangi

Kwena Maphaka had a horrendous game vs SRH [X.com]Kwena Maphaka had a horrendous game vs SRH [X.com]

On Monday, Mumbai Indians will cross swords against Rajasthan Royals in match 14 of the ongoing Indian Premier League season. While the Royals sit comfortably at third position in the standings, MI are placed last owing to their abysmal performance. 

After losing their first match by only six runs against Gujarat Titans, the five-time champions fell flat against Sunrisers Hyderabad, who drubbed them by 31 runs in a high-scoring affair. 

While MI's top-order has shown intent in the absence of the ever-aggressive Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma and Tim David have played some scintillating knocks. 

However, skipper Hardik Pandya is yet to bring out his A-game, as his struggles towards the backend of the innings hasn't helped the team's cause. 

MI's bowling unit had an even poorer outing against the Sunrisers, conceding the highest-ever team total in IPL history. 

While Jasprit Bumrah was class apart, the likes of Gerald Coetzee, Piyush Chawla, Shams Mulani and Kwena Maphaka leaked runs at a horrendous economy rate. 

So, moving on to this game, the MI think tank might bring in Luke Wood, who missed the last match due to a niggle. Although they have a quality option in Nuwan Thushara, their obsession for a left-arm seamer might prompt them to prefer Wood over the Lankan prodigy. 

Mulani could also face exclusion, with Kumar Kartikeya replacing him in the playing XI. Kartikeya has scalped ten wickets in twelve IPL appearances for MI in the previous two seasons. The rest of MI's lineup will likely be similar to what they fielded against SRH. 


MI's probable playing XI vs RR

Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan (WK), Naman Dhir, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (C), Tim David, Gerald Coetzee, Jasprit Bumrah, Piyush Chawla, Kumar Kartikeya, Luke Wood

Impact players: Dewald Brevis, Vishnu Vinod, Nehal Wadhera, Mohammad Nabi, Romario Shepherd