What Rajasthan Royals will play the role of hosts for the first time in Pepsi IPL 2015 when they take on the Mumbai Indians in Match 9. The home side should be brimming with confidence given they come into this fixture with two wins from two outings. In their season opener they caused an upset of sorts by defeating last season’s runner-up Kings XI Punjab by 26 runs in Pune. That was followed by a thrilling last-ball three wicket win over the Delhi Daredevils. That RR’s wins have come without any substantial contribution from Steve Smith and Shane Watson – who were seen as their most important players leading into the season – augurs well for the team. The Mumbai Indians have played two matches but are yet to get their first points on the board. They lost to the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders in the season opener and then came a cropper in the match against Kings XI Punjab; the margin of defeat in that match might only read 18 runs, but in reality MI were never in the contest after being reduced to 59 for 6 in their pursuit of 178. When 14 April 2015, 8p.m. IST Where Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad The Protagonists Shane Watson, if he has recovered sufficiently from the injury that forced him to miss the first two matches, will be a key to RR’s success along with Ajinkya Rahane and Steve Smith. Deepak Hooda has fast established a reputation as someone to follow closely; the 19-year old contributed a handy 15-ball 30 in the win against Kings XI Punjab and then powered his team to a 3-wicket win over the Delhi Daredevils with his 25-ball 54. James Faulkner can touch speeds in excess of 145kph, but his slower deliveries – which can be as slow as 125kph - are very difficult to pick and cause most trouble. On the sluggish surface one can expect at the Sardar Patel Stadium, the Australian can become a very difficult customer to score off. There is no denying that Rohit Sharma is the best batsman in the Mumbai Indians lineup; the 27-year old has the game to drop anchor, build an innings and play the big shots too. In promoting himself to open the innings, he has given himself the chance to bat for majority of the innings. If he can do so, chances are MI will have plenty of runs on the board and give the stroke-makers like Kieron Pollard and Corey Anderson to play their shots at the backend of the innings. Harbhajan Singh, and whoever happens to be his spin bowling partner, will be key in MI’s bowling plans given the surface has historically tended to assist the slow bowlers. The off-spinner was terrific in the match against KXIP, making good use of flight and bowling the right pace, and will be expected to keep the pressure on the RR batsmen once again. Contests to look-forward to The stocks of Sanju Samson, Karun Nair and Deepak Hooda have seen a steep rise in the last couple of seasons. They will be pitted against one of the most fearsome bowlers in the T20 format in Lasith Malinga. If they come up triumphant against the experienced Sri Lankan fast bowler, it will sure enhance their reputations further. Previous Meetings History suggests that the Mumbai Indians certainly hold the upper hand in contests between them and the Rajasthan Royals. The two teams have so far clashed 14 times; MI have emerged victorious in 9 of those contests while RR prevailed in the remaining five matches. In the six meetings between the two teams played either in Jaipur or Ahmedbad, the honours are split right down the center – with both teams winning three matches apiece. Most recently Mumbai Indians have won their last four matches against RR – twice in 2013 and again twice in 2014. Trivia Off the 8 IPL that have been played at Ahmedabad so far, 6 have been won by the team batting first. No team has lost at the venue after posting 150 runs on the board. When the Mumbai Indians visited Ahmedabad during Pepsi IPL 2014, their opening pair of Michael Hussey and Lendl Simmons were involved in a partnership of 120 runs. What Next The Rajasthan Royals will fly out to the coastal city of Visakhapatnam for their away fixture against Sunrisers Hyderabad, scheduled for April 16. The Mumbai Indians meanwhile head back home and play host to the Chennai Super Kings on April 17.