GUWAHATI: It’s still early days in the season but Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians head into Tuesday’s clash at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium on contrasting notes.The Royals have built early momentum with back-to-back wins while the five-time champions are searching for consistency after a sixwicket loss to Delhi Capitals, following a dominant opening victory over Kolkata Knight Riders. Rajasthan began their campaign with a crushing win over Chennai Super Kings at their adopted home in Guwahati and followed it up with a nervy but smart victory over Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad. Defending just 15 runs in the final two overs to seal a six-run win in the last game, the Riyan Parag-led side is brimming with confidence and will look to continue its winning run in its second outing here.Mumbai, meanwhile, will be keen on the return of captain Hardik Pandya, who missed the previous match due to viral fever. With India T20 skipper Suryakumar Yadav stepping in as stand-in captain against Delhi, MI had to reshuffle their combination and looked slightly unsettled.Pandya has since rejoined training and is expected to return to the XI, though he skipped Monday’s session after practising on Sunday. MI bowling coach Paras Mhambrey sounded optimistic at the pre-match press conference.“Yes, he will be available for the game. He hit the nets for a couple of hours yesterday. He is fit and fine. He was not injured, just unwell,” Mhambrey said.Pandya’s absence forced MI to bring in South African allrounder Corbin Bosch as a like-for-like replacement, while Trent Boult made way. Deepak Chahar delivered a tidy spell, but Bosch failed to make an impact, leaving MI’s bowling combination lacking balance.

Bumrah still to pick a wicketJasprit Bumrah has been economical as ever but is yet to pick up a wicket this season, while Mitchell Santner has done well to hold on to his place. The MI attack, however, faces a stiff challenge against Rajasthan’s inform batting unit.Explosive openers Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal have provided strong starts, with Dhruv Jurel steady at No. 3. Parag and Shimron Hetmyer are yet to get significant time in the middle. Still, their presence adds depth to the line-up.Parag, in particular, will take confidence from his calm leadership against Gujarat, where his smart bowling changes helped Tushar Deshpande defend 11 runs in the final over. With Jofra Archer and Nadre Burger sharing the new ball effectively, the Royals look well-balanced.Mumbai, however, possess enough firepower in Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma to turn things around, setting up a contest where momentum meets experience.NUMBERS GAME

Stats – Rajesh Kumar