The day 11 of VIVO Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 saw Mumbai Indians (MI) register their first victory of the ongoing season. Riding on captain Rohit Sharma’s quickfire 52-ball 92 runs, Mumbai thrashed Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by 46 runs at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. The big highlight of the 14th T20 match was that both captains, Rohit and Virat scored 90-plus runs, much to the delight of spectators watching live action of MI vs RCB. With their maiden win, Mumbai hopped to the sixth place in IPL 2018 points table, while Bangalore slipped to seventh position. The next match scheduled in the IPL 2018 timetable is between Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur. We will take a detailed look at previous match (MI vs RCB) highlights, upcoming game RR vs KKR preview and our prediction as well as current IPL 11 points table and team standings.

Highlights of Match 14 on April 17, 2018: Mumbai Indians Beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 46 Runs

Mumbai Indians were in a desperate need of a heroic performance to avoid fourth consecutive defeat in Indian Premier League 2018 and it was their skipper Rohit Sharma who rose to the occasion. After Virat won the toss and invited Mumbai to bat first, it seemed like a good call made by RCB captain. Umesh Yadav struck early to remove in-form batsmen Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan to leave Mumbai struggling 2/0. However, they could not capitalize on the fantastic start with Rohit Sharma and Evin Lewis sharing a 100-plus stand. While Sharma made 94 runs, Lewis smashed all around the park for his well-made 65-run innings. At the end of Mumbai Indians innings, a total of 213/6 was posted on the scoreboard.

Mumbai Indians Beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 46 Runs (Photo Credits: Mumbai Indians/Facebook)

Chasing a two-hundred-plus target was never going to be easy but with Virat opening the RCB innings along with Quinton de Kock gave hopes to the supporting fans. They reached 40 runs in four overs before Mitchell McClenaghan removed De Kock. While Virat continued to punish Mumbai bowlers, he ran out of partners at the other end. The flamboyant Indian skipper remained not out at 92, which he made in 62 deliveries. This is third defeat for RCB, with single win coming against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP). While Mumbai finally after losses against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Delhi Daredevils (DD), it was a sweet victory.

Brief scores: Mumbai Indians: 213/6 in 20 Overs, Run Rate: 10.65 (Rohit Sharma 94; Evin Lewis 65; Umesh Yadav 2/36) against Royal Challengers Bangalore: 167/8 in 20 Overs, Run Rate: 8.35 (Virat Kohli 92; Quinton de Kock 19; Krunal Pandya 3/28).

Day 12 Schedule on April 18, 2018: Rajasthan Royals Eye Third-Straight Win in IPL 2018 as They Take on Kolkata Knight Riders

Rajasthan Royals is hosting Kolkata Knight Riders at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium (Photo Credits: IANS)

Rajasthan Royals will be taking on Kolkata Knight Riders at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur in the fifteenth match of Indian Premier League 2018. Both the teams are coming off morale-boosting victories. On one hand, Rajasthan has defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore by 19 runs, Kolkata has emerged victorious in their match against Delhi Daredevils. They defeated Delhi by a huge 71-run margin. Batsmen for both sides are clicking on time with Sanju Samson serving the purpose for RR, Nitish Rana and Andre Russell are proving gem for KKR. Even the respective skippers, Ajinkya Rahane of Rajasthan and Dinesh Karthik of Kolkata are making useful contributions to the sides.

IPL 2018 Match 15 Prediction: Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders

Rajasthan Royals has played Kolkata Knight Riders on 16 occasions and the head-to-head record is in favour of RR. They have won 9 matches compared to Kolkata’s 6 match wins. In fact, Rajasthan also boasts of a home match advantage winning three out of four matches played so far at Sawai Mansingh Stadium. Rajasthan had defeated Kolkata in their last meeting in 2015 by nine runs. Despite records favouring Rahane and Co., we feel it will be Dinesh Karthik’s feisty side who will taste victory in the latest encounter with Andre Russell playing a key role.

A Look at IPL 2018 Points Table

IPL 2018 Trophy (File Photo)

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) is placed on top of the IPL 2018 points table with three wins in three matches. KKR is placed second and has a chance to become the leaders if they manage to defeat Rajasthan in Wednesday’s dual. As for Rajasthan, a win will directly take them to the second position in team standings, a defeat will keep their place unchanged. So far, SRH, KKR, KXIP and CSK are in the top four places of IPL 11 points table and team standings.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 18, 2018 03:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).