Credit: X/RR
Rajasthan Royals will be up against five-time IPL winners Mumbai Indians in their reverse fixture on Monday at their fortress Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur. Ahead of their clash in Pink City, Ishan Kishan had a heart-warming meet-up with the home side’s spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Keshav Maharaj.
Originally from South Africa, Keshav Maharaj had his roots in India, and religiously being Hindu, Maharaj has often shared his belief in gods over the years. Notably, during the Test series against India last year, Maharaj was welcomed to the middle with the “Ram Siya Ram” song following which this became a tradition on his entry.
Before their encounter on Monday, Kishan had a meet-up with Keshav Maharaj and he acknowledged him gently, “Hi Keshav Bhai, how are you, all good? Nice to see you.” The Mumbai Indians opener then asked him about his fluency in Hindi, “Keshav bhai, you understand Hindi properly?…. A little bit”? After a brief catch-up, Kishan greeted him with “Jai Shree Ram” and the 34-year-old spinner replied with “Jai Shree Ram.”
Rajasthan Royals, who are standing at the pole position in the points table with six wins in seven games will look to cement their stay at the top with a double over Mumbai Indians. The home side had chased down the record-breaking target against Kolkata Knight Riders in their previous encounter in Kolkata.
Jos Buttler, who is in explicit form in the ongoing season, has always been a nemesis for the Mumbai-based franchise. In the nine innings against the Hardik Pandya-led side, Buttler scored 498 runs with an astonishing strike rate of 148.66, which included four scores of 50+ and one century.
