Pitch Stats – The Wankhede Stadium
Average first innings score: 185
Average first innings winning score: 214
Average powerplay score: 62
Win % batting 1st vs batting 2nd: 33% / 67%
Team form MI vs RR
MI:LLWWW
RR:WLLWW
Recent meetings: IPL 2022 - MI won by 5 wickets, RR won by 23 runs
Mumbai fell to their 2nd heavy defeat in as many games when they were comfortably brushed aside by reigning champs Gujarat Titans earlier in the week.
The MI top 6 continues to look strong but unfortunately when your bowling attack is regularly conceding 200+ scores then your chances of winning matches is significantly diminished.
Both those recent big totals by the opposition have been built off the back of a significant shortage of death bowling options at MI. As we are seeing on a very regular basis in IPL 2023, the introduction of the impact sub which essentially allows teams to play an extra batsmen, means that even if sides get off to a sticky start (GT were 50 for 2 and PBKS 83 for 4) they have the depth in their order to just keep hitting. At the moment, Mumbai don't seem to have the answers to counter that situation.
Rajasthan meanwhile returned to winning ways with their 2nd win of the season against CSK. That victory sent them at least temporarily back to the top of the league although Gujarat will have the chance to supplant them in 1st place later today. A win here today would very much underline Rajasthan's credentials for not just a playoff spot but a top 2 finish.
Rajasthan will be happy that their current top 6 all look capable of contributing at present. Padikkal has made a timely return to form and the discovery of Druvh Jurel is proving a real bonus for a side that at times last season looked overly reliant on its top order to deliver.
| Team | Total 50+ scores | No.players making 50+ scores |
|---|---|---|
| CSK | 11 | 4 |
| DC | 6 | 3 |
| GT | 7 | 4 |
| KKR | 8 | 6 |
| LSG | 9 | 4 |
| MI | 6 | 5 |
| PBKS | 7 | 6 |
| RR | 10 | 5 |
| RCB | 13 | 3 |
| SRH | 3 | 3 |
Batsmen making 50+ scores in IPL 2023 by franchise
KKR and PBKS may have more batsmen who have scored 50s but it's worth remembering that they made significantly more changes to their squad too and Royals strength and depth is matched only by CSK.
So far this season the Wankhede is bucking the historical trend for it being a difficult place for batting sides to start their innings. That's potentially down to their being a little less movement in the matches that we've seen so far plus the ultra-aggressive approach that all teams are taking to batting.
| Statistic | All-time IPL stats | IPL 2023 stats |
|---|---|---|
| Average powerplay score | 46.0 | 61.7 |
| Average death overs score | 51.6 | 55.6 |
All-time IPL powerplay and death stats vs 2023 matches only
However, it's difficult to ignore the relative strength of this MI bowling line-up compared to some of the great squads and fantastic new ball bowlers that the franchise has possessed in previous IPL seasons.
It looked like with the purchase of Archer and the retention of Bumrah, MI were looking to build again with a core of quicks to terrorise the opposition, particularly here at the Wankhede. While the likes of Behrendorff, Meredith, Green and Tendulkar aren't bad bowlers, they certainly don't strike fear into the hearts of the opposition in the same way that a few of the previous players to wear the blue and gold have.
Unfortunately, if Mumbai are unable to make early in roads into this Rajasthan batting line-up then their aforementioned weakness later in the innings as well as the fact that this venue has always been a ground were scoring tends to get faster, means it'll be very difficult to avoid a 3rd loss of the season at what was once fortress Wankhede.
RR bowling vs MI batting
Speaking of former Mumbai bowlers and a man who was a part of the last MI squad to win the tournament back in 2020, Trent Boult missed the match against CSK with what was described as a "niggle". That suggests he was left out more as precaution than anything and he could well return to action today.
Trent Boult vs Ishan and Rohit T20 head to head
I imagine that Mumbai brought the New Zealander to the franchise specifically in order for him to take advantage of the movement that is often on offer at the Wankhede. However, due to Covid he never actually played here for Mumbai and his record of bowling in the powerplay here for various other franchises is poor (2 wickets in 21 overs bowled).
Of course, Rajasthan have been very reliant on slower bowlers this season and they returned to their 3 pronged spin attack for the victory against CSK allowing them to bowl frontline spinners through all phases of the game. Will they continue that at the Wankhede?
Chahal T20 head to head vs Tim David
Given that pace bowling has been going at over 10 an over here at the Wankhede (only Eden Gardens has seen a higher economy for the seamers in 2023) then it will definitely be something that the Royals consider. Their spin options also provide them with multiple match-ups in their favour against this Mumbai team.
Ashwin vs Sky T20 head to head
One head to head however that has gone MI's way in the past is that of Sky up against Ashwin and given the later is on course to deliver his most prolific IPL season in a decade then it's a match-up that Mumbai will need to continue to win.
MI bowling vs RR batting
I mentioned Jaiswal's liking for left-arm bowling in my previous RR preview and he cashed in against CSK's Akash Singh. In this match, he's likely to get 2 lefties up against him in the powerplay and so he'll be keen to pick up where he left off earlier in the week with his man of the match performance.
Another former MI star in Jos Buttler knows the conditions here very well while quite a few of the Rajasthan players enjoyed the time they spent playing here in IPL 2022.
| Batsman | Ave. at the Wankhede | S/R at the Wankhede |
|---|---|---|
| Buttler | 38.3 | 148.3 |
| Hetmyer | n/a* | 164.9 |
| Jaiswal | 31.3 | 146.9 |
| Padikkal | 48.0 | 146.2 |
| Samson | 39.4 | 147.7 |
*Hetmyer has scored 160 IPL runs at the Wankhede and never been dismissed
Rajasthan batsmen IPL records at the Wankhede
It'd be great to see former Royal Jofra Archer go head to head with a few of his old teammates not to mention his England skipper Jos Buttler. However, the form and fitness of Mumbai's prize quick has been an issue all year and while Riley Meredith has come in and performed better this season than he has in previous editions of the IPL, they'll be plenty of hitters within this Rajasthan team who will fancy taking him on again.
Riley Meredith T20 head to head vs Rajasthan's current batsmen
All stats used in this blog are from my own databases which are freely accessible below
IPL head to head player stats
IPL player stats by venue
IPL stadium statistics.
Images are my own with the exception of player profiles and highlights within GIFs which are not intended to infringe copyright- read full disclaimer. Background images are used under a creative commons license or otherwise royalty free.
