What

Rajasthan Royals go on the road for the first time this season after convincingly winning their first two matches at home. They will travel to Mumbai to take on the Mumbai Indians, who got out of jail in spectacular fashion in their away fixture against the Deccan Chargers. Needing 18 to win off the last over, Rohit Sharma rose to the occasion as he slammed Daniel Christian for two sixes (including a last-ball six), and helped his team to a famous win.

When

Wednesday, April 11, 2011, 08:00 p.m.

Where

Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

The Protagonists

Rohit Sharma was always known to be an immensely gifted cricketer and was seen as someone who could go on to play for India for a long time. Despite his talent, he 24-year-old has often disappointed his followers thanks to his poor shot selection and inconsistent form. After a poor start to DLF IPL 2012, the Mumbai lad produced a magical knock against the Deccan Chargers. His team management will be hoping he can produce such knocks on a consistent basis.

Sachin Tendulkar is likely to return to the MI set-up after missing the previous two matches due to an injury. MI have had their share of problems at the top of the order, and the Little Master will be aware that his team needs him as much for his runs as for his experience.

Rajasthan Royals’ success in the competition thus far has been built on contributions from more than just one player in their line-up. While Ajinkya Rahane produced a classic innings in the match against Kings XI Punjab, Ashok Menaria and Brad Hodge delivered the goods in the match against the Kolkata Knight Riders.

In his two appearances, Kevon Cooper has impressed with his all-round performances. The Trinidadian has so far been playing a supporting role, but the time is not far when he will be given the responsibility to do more. Keep an eye on Rahul Dravid for his smart decision-making. The 39-year-old has himself looked impressive with the bat, and he’s also made the best of the limited resources at his disposal.

Previous Meetings

The Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals have so far met on seven occasions, and the latter have a slight edge having won four of those games. Last season, RR won both their clashes against MI; first they won their home fixture by seven wickets, and then followed it up with a convincing 10-wicket victory when they traveled to Mumbai.

Trivia

Rajasthan Royals’ Brad Hodge is 11 runs shy of becoming the leading run-getter in Twenty20 cricket. David Hussey tops the list with 4301 runs, while Hodge has 4291 runs from 146 matches.

Among players who’ve scored 1000 runs or more in Twenty20 cricket, Mumbai Indians’ Kieron Pollard has the best batting strike-rate – 161.78

Mumbai Indians will be aware of the fact that they don’t have a great record at the Wankhede Stadium in recent times. In their last four matches at the venue, they’ve managed just one win.

What next?

Following this fixture, Rahul Dravid’s boys will head out to Kolkata to take on the Kolkata Knight Riders on April 13, while the Mumbai Indians will enjoy a four-day break before hosting the Delhi Daredevils on April 16.