RR vs MI Star Wars: Sanju Samson vs Mitchell McClenaghan

The wicket of Sanju Samson could have a bearing on Sunday's second match, in Jaipur.

Sanju Samson seems to be struggling against quicks this season of IPL.

Sunday's match, the 21st of IPL 2018, at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium is an important one for Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians, which desperately need a win to get their campaign back on track.

Sanju Samson is vital to Rajasthan Royals and its chances of snapping its two-match win-less streak. His failures in the last two matches, against Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings, have coincided with Rajasthan suffering big-margin defeats that have significantly affected its net run-rate.

Samson's last two dismissals have been identical: he has fallen to short balls directed at the armpit area, tempting him to play the pull shot and having him caught in the deep on the leg-side. This tendency to fall to this trap may be exploited by Mumbai Indians' left-arm pacer Mitchell McClenaghan.

Being a left-arm pacer, McClenaghan, if anything, will provide a sterner challenge to Samson, who was dismissed by two right-arm pacers, Shivam Mavi and Deepak Chahar, in his last two outings. 

McClenaghan was brought back into Mumbai's playing XI for the home match against Royal Challengers Bangalore and justified his selection by returning figures of two for 24 in three overs. AB de Villiers was one of the New Zealander's scalps, falling to a 'short delivery' which he hit down the throat of the fielder at deep mid-wicket.