On Monday, the defending champions Mumbai Indians will face Rajasthan Royals in the 51st match of the IPL 2021 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium. The previous time these two sides played was at Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium, where Rajasthan Royals put up a tough 171-run total.

Intriguingly, Mumbai Indians chased down the score in 18.3 overs, thanks to Quinton de Kock’s spectacular 70-run knock off 50 balls. Krunal Pandya also contributed a respectable 39 runs off 26 deliveries.
Here’s a look at how both of these teams have fared in the tournament thus far.
Mumbai Indians:
The last time Mumbai Indians played Rajasthan Royals, they were victorious. That would give them a physiological advantage, but their recent form hasn’t been that impressive. With only 5 victories in 12 games, the Mumbai Indians are now in seventh place on the points standings. Another loss now could jeopardise their hopes of entering the playoffs.
They can’t afford to lose another game now. MI enters the match on the heels of a four-wicket loss to the defending champions. Their main concern is the middle-lackluster order’s performance. In the recent couple of games, neither Rohit Sharma nor Quinton de Kock have scored many runs.
In the previous game, both players left with poor scores.
Suryakumar Yadav, on the other hand, rediscovered his form with a strong 26-ball 33-run knock in the previous game. On Tuesday, the team hopes to put on a match-winning performance. MI only managed to score 129 runs in the first innings due to the fact that none of their batsmen hit a significant blow against DC.
The bowlers fought valiantly and gave it their all. MI, on the other hand, may have fallen 20-30 runs short as the Delhi Capitals chased down the total in 19.1 overs. Rahul Chahar did not play in the final game because he was replaced by Jayant Yadav. The former is anticipated to return to the starting lineup. There’s a chance Ishan Kishan will return to the playoffs in an attempt to bolster the batting order.
Rajasthan Royals:
Rajasthan Royals, on the other side, have the same number of wins as the table-toppers, Chennai Super Kings, and are coming off a win against them. That victory would have instilled a lot of confidence in them. Rajasthan made a few adjustments to their batting line-up, and it paid off.
After giving up 189 runs in the first innings, the RR batsmen put on a show of power-hitting in the second half of the game. Ewin Lewis and Yashasvi Jaiswal got off to a fast start in the innings, helping the team achieve 70 runs in the first six overs. Unfortunately, Evin Lewis was caught in the last over of the power play after scoring 27 runs on 12 balls, but Jaiswal continued for one more over. Jaiswal hit six fours and three sixes in just 21 balls to get his first half-century.
Shivam Dube got off to a fast start in his first game of the second leg of the tournament. During his time at the crease, he hit some huge sixes. Dube spared no bowlers, smashing 64 runs in just 42 deliveries to help his team reach the mark in in 17.3 overs.
On Tuesday, the Rajasthan Royals will face MI in a must-win match. Given their performance against CSK, it does not appear that they will modify their playing eleven.