Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians is one of the most exciting and even IPL duos of all time. These two teams have highlighted dramatic run chases, close finishes, unforgettable individual performances, playoff battles, and thrilling contests since their first season of IPL back in 2008. Mumbai Indians went on to become the successful IPL franchise with multiple IPL championship titles and Rajasthan Royals won respect for fearless cricket, smart planning and for being able to find young talents to play cricket.
This rivalry was popular because, both teams played different kinds of cricket. Mumbai Indians assembled a batting line-up teeming with match-winners and big names, whereas Rajasthan Royals emphasised on team-building, batting and nurturing youngsters. Though Mumbai Indians took the upper hand in the winning of the IPL medals, Rajasthan Royals never looked back and enjoyed one of the nearest head-to-head records in the history of IPL. This article delves into the history, head-to-head records, memorable moments, venue statistics, recent encounters, and key IPL records of Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians.
Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians Rivalry Overview
Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai Indians had their first clash in IPL 2008. Mumbai Indians had a rich strength in depth as they included the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Sanath Jayasuriya, Shaun Pollock and Harbhajan Singh in their squad. The other team, Rajasthan Royals, were the underdogs and gave everyone a surprise winning the first IPL title under Shane Warne.
Mumbai Indians used to get a hunky-dory start from Rajasthan Royals with their disciplined bowling and blazing attack in the early days of the IPL. Rajasthan had excellent wins against Mumbai thanks to players such as Shane Watson, Yusuf Pathan, Graeme Smith and Sohail Tanwir.
The Mumbai Indians gave a steady progression from one of the weaker teams to one of the strongest IPL teams under the leadership of Rohit Sharma. The franchise developed itself with the new core of pollard, Malinga, hardik pandya, jasprit Bumrah and suryakumar yadav. Mumbai Indians went ahead and became the most successful IPL team with 5 IPL trophies to their name at the end of it.
| Category | Details |
| First IPL Match | 2008 |
| Tournament | Indian Premier League |
| Teams | Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians |
| Home Ground (RR) | Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur |
| Home Ground (MI) | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai |
| Famous For | High-scoring thrillers and close finishes |
| Most Memorable Match | IPL 2014 Playoff Qualification Match |
| IPL Titles | MI – 5, RR – 1 |
Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians Head-to-Head
The rivalry was also a special one as often times Rajasthan Royals beat Mumbai Indians with less superstar players. Their lack of fear and cunning played a big part in them holding their own against one of the largest IPL teams. Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians boast one of the closest head to heads in IPL history. Unlike other rivalries in the IPL in which one team was clearly superior, RR and MI were even over the last few eras of the IPL.
Mumbai Indians enjoy a slight edge in the overall head-to-head but Rajasthan Royals always tried to match them with a fearless cricket and attacking cricket. These two teams had crossed 200-run mark for several times due to fearless batting game. The Mumbai Indians had always relied on mature batsmen and power hitters and Rajasthan Royals on younger fearless batters and aggressive intent. There were also some memorable catches such as Rohit Sharma, Jos Buttler, Shane Watson, Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Kieron Pollard and Jasprit Bumrah.
| Rajasthan Royals | Mumbai Indians |
| Matches Played – 32 | Matches Played – 32 |
| Matches Won – 15 | Matches Won – 16 |
| No Result – 1 | No Result – 1 |
| Highest Team Score – 212 | Highest Team Score – 214 |
| Lowest Team Score – 90 | Lowest Team Score – 92 |
| Biggest Win Margin | Biggest Win Margin |
| 10 wickets | 57 runs |
| Playoff Meetings – 1 | Playoff Meetings – 1 |
Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians Timeline
RR vs MI short match History:
Rajasthan Royals’ dominance in the early years (2008-2011)
Rajasthan Royals took an aggressive start winning the first 14 matches against Australia, while Warne was at the helm. RR won a few crucial games with righteous bowling and indomitable batting against the Mumbai Indians. One of the biggest encounters of the show came during IPL 2011 when RR had a fantastic display from Shane Watson at the Wankhede Stadium against MI.
2012–2015: Mumbai Indians Rise
With Rohit Sharma leading the way, Mumbai Indians were one of the strongest IPL teams. Kieron Pollard and Lasith Malinga among others did a lot to help lead MI in many matches. The biggest of the head-to-head rivalry was during IPL 2014 when it was time for last ball six, which was done by Corey Anderson and Aditya Tare in the process when MI chased the needed target with ease.
2016–2019: Close and Competitive Battles
There was a fair balance in terms of success for both teams over this stretch. MI had match-winners like Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya while Rajasthan Royals were also supported by Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson. There were several games which saw action till the last moments.
2020–2023: High-Scoring Thrillers
The contest took a contemporary turn to T20 cricket with huge numbers and brilliantly boisterous hitting. stanovnika Yashasvi Jaiswal joined RR as their big break and MI had their powerful batsmen, Suryakumar Yadav and others, doing the heavy lifting. There we were some really exciting run chases, and there were a few big scores.
2024–2026: Rajasthan Royals Fight Back
Rajasthan Royals got the flow with thrashing Mumbai Indians in two games. Players such as Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler and Sandeep Sharma among others contributed to RR’s recent successes and it was quite a challenge by MI that kept an eye on them.
| Year | Venue | Result |
| 2008 | Mumbai | MI won by 7 wickets |
| 2008 | Jaipur | RR won by 5 wickets |
| 2009 | Durban | MI won by 4 wickets |
| 2010 | Jaipur | RR won by 7 wickets |
| 2011 | Mumbai | RR won by 10 wickets |
| 2012 | Mumbai | MI won by 27 runs |
| 2013 | Jaipur | RR won by 87 runs |
| 2014 | Ahmedabad | MI won by 25 runs |
| 2015 | Mumbai | RR won by 7 wickets |
| 2018 | Jaipur | RR won by 3 wickets |
| 2019 | Mumbai | MI won by 8 wickets |
| 2020 | Abu Dhabi | MI won by 57 runs |
| 2021 | Delhi | MI won by 7 wickets |
| 2022 | Navi Mumbai | RR won by 23 runs |
| 2023 | Mumbai | MI won by 6 wickets |
| 2024 | Jaipur | RR won by 9 wickets |
| 2025 | Jaipur | MI won by 100 runs |
| 2026 | Guwahati | RR won by 27 runs |
Top Run Scorers in RR vs MI Matches
Several legendary batters dominated this rivalry over the years. Due to his cool demeanor and pressure handling, he was the most regular run aggregator for Mumbai Indians. Jos Buttler had done an excellent job for Rajasthan Royals as he was a regular threat to Mumbai bowlers. One of the more reliable RR batsmen against Mumbai Indians was Sanju Samson. In the past few seasons, MI saw Suryakumar Yadav playing up the stick in a regular basis. Yashasvi Jaiswal played a sensational century at Wankhede Stadium in IPL 2023 to emerge a star in this show.
| Player | Team | Runs |
| Rohit Sharma | MI | 600+ |
| Sanju Samson | RR | 575+ |
| Jos Buttler | RR | 500+ |
| Suryakumar Yadav | MI | 400+ |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | RR | 350+ |
Highest Score in One Match by Individual
| Player | Score | Year | Venue |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | 124 | 2023 | Mumbai |
| Ben Stokes | 107* | 2020 | Abu Dhabi |
| Jos Buttler | 94 | 2022 | Navi Mumbai |
| Rohit Sharma | 87* | 2020 | Abu Dhabi |
| Shane Watson | 89* | 2011 | Mumbai |
Top Wicket Takers in RR vs MI Matches
There was much of bowling that influenced the RR v MI battles. Jasprit Bumrah emerged as the most menacing bowler for Mumbai Indians in this match-up due to two things – yorkers that could kill anybody and a controlled performance in high-pressure situations. Lasith Malinga was also a threat with his unorthodox bowling and bowling experience with Rajasthan Royals. Jofra Archer was one of the leg-spinners who made a difference to Rajasthan Royals in terms of speed and accuracy against MI. Sohail Tanvir and Sandeep Sharma also had memorable bowlers’ performances.
| Bowler | Team | Wickets |
| Jasprit Bumrah | MI | 17+ |
| Jofra Archer | RR | 12+ |
| Lasith Malinga | MI | 11+ |
| Sohail Tanvir | RR | 10+ |
| Sandeep Sharma | RR | 9+ |
Best Bowling Performances
| Bowler | Figures | Year | Venue |
| Sandeep Sharma | 5/18 | 2024 | Jaipur |
| Sohail Tanvir | 4/14 | 2008 | Jaipur |
| Nathan Coulter-Nile | 4/14 | 2015 | Mumbai |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 3/17 | 2020 | Abu Dhabi |
| Shane Watson | 3/19 | 2011 | Mumbai |
Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians Recent Matches
| Date | Venue | Winner | Margin | Season |
| Apr 7, 2026 | Guwahati | RR | 27 runs | IPL 2026 |
| May 1, 2025 | Jaipur | MI | 100 runs | IPL 2025 |
| Apr 22, 2024 | Jaipur | RR | 9 wickets | IPL 2024 |
| Apr 30, 2023 | Mumbai | MI | 6 wickets | IPL 2023 |
| Apr 2, 2022 | Navi Mumbai | RR | 23 runs | IPL 2022 |
| Oct 5, 2021 | Sharjah | MI | 8 wickets | IPL 2021 |
| Oct 25, 2020 | Abu Dhabi | MI | 57 runs | IPL 2020 |
Conclusion
Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians is one such fun combo in IPL. Mumbai Indians had an illustrious history, with a number of IPL trophies, great players and leadership and Rajasthan Royals gained fame with their fearless cricket and for unearthing young talents. This match-up created some memorable moments such as Shane Watson’s all-round brilliance, Yashasvi Jaiswal’s sensational century, Corey Anderson’s magical knock and some nail-biting finishes. The overall head-to-head record points in favour of Mumbai Indians; though Rajasthan Royals have posed a great threat to them and provided some memorable wins. Batsmen such as Rohit Sharma, Jos Buttler, Jasprit Bumrah, Shane Watson, Sanju Samson, and Yasasvi Jaiswal have done their utmost to make this rivalry entertaining for the IPL fans.
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As both teams continue to develop good teams, fans can look forward to more exciting games, more memorable moments, more dramatic finishes and more explosive batting in the future IPL seasons.
