The Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi will host Match 20 of the Dream11 Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 when Mumbai Indians (MI) take on Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Tuesday.

MI will be eyeing their third win in a row, having beaten Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in their last two games (most recent first). While the Rohit Sharma-led unit defeated SRH by 34 runs after scoring 208, they came out trumps against KXIP, beating KL Rahul and Co. by 48 runs.

RR, on the other hand, registered two wins from as many games at the start of the tournament against KXIP and Chennai Super Kings (CSK). But they lost their last two games – against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), while setting up the total, and against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) while chasing the target.

RR will be out to break the two-match losing streak while MI will be eager to complete a hat-trick of wins to register their fourth win of the IPL 2020.

Head-to-head

There is nothing to separate these two teams in terms of their head-to-head records. Both – MI and RR – have won 10 games against each other in the IPL and one of them will have a chance to go one up and here are the players who could impact the outcome of the game.

Hardik Pandya

He is yet to score a fifty in the IPL 2020, but if the last two games are anything to go by, then Hardik Pandya looks set for a big and an impactful innings. The all-rounder hit a few meaty blows against KKR and SRH, and if he enjoys a good game with the bat, we are surely in for some entertainment.

Jos Buttler

He has got two back-to-back starts against RCB and KKR and there were some trademark Jos Buttler big hits before being dismissed in the 20s. If the right-handed batsman fires against MI – a side he played 24 matches for in 2016 and 2017 – then RR could be set to score big.

Quinton de Kock

Quinton de Kock struggled in the first few games with the bat, but returned to form, scoring 67 off 39 balls to set up MI’s win over SRH. The MI wicketkeeper-batsman, who opens the innings alongside Rohit, will be looking to enjoy another good outing with the bat.

Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson started his campaign with two blistering knocks against CSK and KXIP, scoring 74 and 85 respectively. But he was dismissed in the single-digit scores in the following games against KKR and RCB. The right-hander will be itching to score big and if he does that, it will be a sight to behold.

Trent Boult

The New Zealand left-arm pacer did a remarkable job with the ball as MI beat SRH in Sharjah, a venue which has produced 200+ plus totals in all the innings barring one in the IPL 2020. Trent Boult returned with the figures of 2/28 in his four overs. While he scalped the wickets of Jonny Bairstow and Kane Williamson in the game against SRH, he will now be up against the likes of Smith and Jos Buttler and if he manages to succeed against the two, MI will be in with a chance to win the game.

Wild Card

Mahipal Lomror

Playing his first game of the IPL 2020, Mahipal Lomror was RR’s top run-getter against RCB. The left-hander scored 47 off 39 balls, hitting a four and three sixes. He will be looking to score more and contribute to the team’s cause.

Stats

• MI at this venue: Played 4, Won 2, Lost 2
• RR at this venue: Played 4, Won 3, Lost 1

Approaching Milestones

• Rohit Sharma needs 86 runs to complete 4000 IPL runs for MI.
• Suryakumar Yadav is 2 sixes away from completing 50 IPL sixes.
• Jos Buttler needs 67 runs to complete 1500 IPL runs. He also is 94 runs away from completing 1000 IPL runs for RR.
• Sanju Samson needs 3 catches and 120 runs respectively to complete 50 IPL catches and 2500 IPL runs.