RR vs MI Pitch Report: How will the surface at Sawai Mansingh Stadium play for today's match?

Eighth-placed Rajasthan Royals face a must-win scenario in their final four matches to keep their slim hopes of reaching the IPL 2025 playoffs alive. Their first hurdle comes at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Thursday, where they take on the season’s most in-form side, Mumbai Indians.

Rajasthan's campaign took a sharp downturn after three consecutive losses—against Gujarat Titans, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and Delhi Capitals (in a Super Over)—all of which saw them fail to close out matches despite holding the upper hand at various stages.

However, they bounced back in style in their most recent outing against Gujarat Titans, thanks to a stunning performance by 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi. The youngster smashed the fastest century by an Indian in IPL history and, along with Yashasvi Jaiswal, put together a 166-run partnership to chase down a target of 210 in just 15.5 overs—the quickest successful 200+ run chase in the tournament’s history.


Mumbai Indians, meanwhile, have staged a remarkable turnaround. After winning just one of their first five matches, they’ve surged to second on the table with five consecutive victories. The last time they managed such a streak was in 2020—the year they lifted the trophy.

RR vs MI: Pitch Report

Historically, chasing has been easier at Sai Mansingh, often due to dew setting in later in the evening, which can make the pitch flatter and harder for bowlers to grip the ball. Expect a match where batsmen can score freely, and chasing might be the preferred strategy. However, bowlers will need to be smart with their variations and lengths to contain the run flow.

RR vs MI: Head-to-head

Matches played: 30
RR won: 14
MI won: 15
NR: 1

Squads:
Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (capt & wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Wanindu Hasaranga, Shubham Dubey, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kunal Singh Rathore, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya, Kwena Maphaka, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Ashok Sharma, and Vaibhav Suryavanshi.

Mumbai Indians: Hardik Pandya (capt), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Robin Minz, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Shrijith Krishnan (wk), Bevon Jacobs, Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, Will Jacks, Mitchell Santner, Raj Angad Bawa, Vignesh Puthur, Corbin Bosch, Trent Boult, Karn Sharma, Deepak Chahar, Ashwani Kumar, Reece Topley, VS Penmetsa, Arjun Tendulkar, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Jasprit Bumrah.

(with TOI inputs)