Mumbai Indians would look to continue the winning momentum as they take on an in-form Rajasthan Royals unit at home on Friday.

Having won their last game against Sunrisers Hyderabad at home, Mumbai Indians would be keen to build on it, and have a phase of few consecutive wins, which can help their progress to the top four. Having played seven games in 17 days, the Rohit Sharma-led outfit got a well deserved five day break after that win over Sunrisers. That means there will be some fresh air about this unit, especially after having gone through lot of changes due to injuries and loss of form.

The hosts came up with their best bowling performance of the season against Sunrisers, restricting them to 137 in defense of 157. And that is something the bowling unit would need to continue more often, and especially against a strong batting unit like Rajasthan Royals. The likes of Malinga, Harbhajan Singh, Mitchell McClenaghan would all need to bring in their A game to keep the Royals under check. Left-arm spinner Jagadeesha Suchith was brilliant in slowing down the Sunrisers’ run-rate, and could be a key bowler at the Wankhede wicket for the hosts once again.

The last time those two sides met, in Ahmedabad, Royals were too strong with the bat for Mumbai Indians, chasing down 164 with five balls and seven wickets to spare. Mumbai Indians will need to be a lot more lethal with the ball this time around, in front of their home supporters.

They will also do well to finish better, compared to the game against Sunrisers. They looked set for a total around 180, before eventually settling down at 157 four days back, and would hope that they make the most of the hard-work done in the first half of their innings.

There are a very few worries in the batting department for the Paltan, with Rohit Sharma, Lendl Simmons, Kieron Pollard all having scored big runs more than once in the first half of the tournament. They are the big guns, who would score fast and hit the big shots. Their fire-power makes the difference between an average score and a challenging one. And hence, them being in good form is great news for the hosts. They were particularly careful of not losing early wickets against Sunrisers, and that ploy worked well for the Paltan. The team think-tank would hope that they continue the same approach, and still make the most of the batting Power-play overs, a task that is easier said than done.