Royals' bright start set for MI examination

Rajasthan Royals have won two games in a row to kickstart their IPL 2026 campaign - a thumping victory against Chennai Super Kings followed by a come-from-behind nervy defence against Gujarat Titans. At this point they are ecstatic. Riyan Parag spoke about the merits of 'smart cricket' and 'assessing conditions' in Guwahati. Tushar Deshpande gestured that the turf belonged to him in Ahmedabad.

Siddhartha Lahiri has been around the Royals set-up for seven years. He has seen these early season successes wither away in the Indian summer every single time. No team has kickstarted the IPL season with two successive wins than Royals, and yet by the end of it, ended up without a trophy every single time.

"It's a long season, we can't get excited." Lahiri, the performance coach of the Royals, cautioned a day ahead of their second home game of the season. "We are not at all over-excited with our first two games... When we win, it all looks smart. When you lose, it looks unsmart."

Even as Royals have displayed both the ability to be dominant as well as keep calm under pressure, they would be well aware that they are far from being flawless. And to test that vulnerability, they will be up against Mumbai Indians - a team that promises to field the strong XII this season, on paper - on Tuesday.

The five-time champions, as dominant as they look on paper, had the cracks exposed by the absence of just one all-rounder in the side, against Delhi Capitals. Pandya, who was unwell, is expected to be available for the next game even though he didn't turn up for practice on Monday. But their recent problems run much deeper, most significantly as travellers. Since 2023, no team has struggled more than Mumbai Indians away from home.

Royals have the opportunity to pounce on this weakness. But they would also be aware that historical data counts for little. In all likelihood, they might be against the strongest side MI has fielded since their title-victory in 2020.

What to expect: In the six IPL games hosted in Guwahati, the average first innings total has been 167, with teams batting first winning thrice. There was a bit of movement on offer early on in the surface the last time a game was played here. But if the teams manage to see through the early threat, expect a high-scoring contest. Chasing teams have won as many IPL games at the venue as teams batting first, so there isn't a significant toss advantage. However, there could be a possibility of some interruptions with scattered thunderstorms predicted for Tuesday, making fielding an easier option for captains.

Head to head: Despite MI's historical success in the league, they only have a minor edge over Rajasthan Royals, with a 16-14 head-to-head record. Since 2021, they have beaten Royals in five out of eight games.

Injuries/Unavailability: Hardik Pandya, who was unwell and missed out the game against Delhi Capitals, has returned to full fitness and is expected to be available for the clash against Royals. However, he wasn't spotted at practice on Monday.

Tactics & Matchups: Sandeep Sharma may not be the threatening new-ball swing bowler he once was, but he holds the key for the early damage against MI. The veteran pacer has dismissed Rohit Sharma five times and Suryakumar Yadav four times in T20s, conceding only 71 runs against the duo in 76 balls. He could provide an early threat to the MI top-order.

- Mumbai Indians have won only 9 out of their 24 games away from home since 2023, and they have the worst win-loss ratio (0.6) among all the teams in this period.

Click here to read article