Yash Raj Punja: Mumbai Indians won the toss and elected to bowl first in their last league match of the season, which is a must-win clash for their opponents, Rajasthan Royals, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
It is the only day game of the season at the Wankhede, which is being played in quite hot and humid conditions, making it a challenging affair for the players. MI rested seasoned pacer Jasprit Bumrah, bringing in Deepak Chahar into the playing XI. Rajasthan Royals made three changes with skipper Riyan Parag, Nandre Burger, and Ravindra Jadeja coming in.
MI captain Hardik Pandya said the conditions were the reason he opted to bowl first. "When we have played in the afternoon, it (the pitch) tends to get better in the afternoon," said Pandya at the toss.
"Looks like a good track. It's hard. Will mostly play like this. Once the sun goes down, it's slightly better. Just want to come out there and give our best shot. We have had a tough season," he added.
With the Rajasthan Royals needing to win this match to secure the fourth spot in the playoffs, captain Parag said they will give their best in the must-win match as they trail the Punjab Kings by one point.
"Would have done the same thing. Could be the last game of the season. We'll play like it. All the prep and energy that went into the tournament... Hopefully, we maximise our opportunity and get ahead in the playoffs. Rather have this than depend on someone else," he said.
Playing XIs:
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (c), Donovan Ferreira, Shubham Dubey, Dasun Shanaka, Jofra Atcher, Nandre Burger, Yash Raj Punja, Brijesh Sharma
Impact substitutes: Ravindra Jadeja, Sushant Mishra, Aman Rao Perala, Ravi Bishnoi, Tushar Deshpande
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (c), Donovan Ferreira, Shubham Dubey, Dasun Shanaka, Jofra Atcher, Nandre Burger, Yash Raj Punja, Brijesh Sharma
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Impact substitutes: Rohit Sharma, Mayank Rawat, Robin Minz, Krish Bhagat, Trent Boult