Mumbai Indians are in danger of going through a similar winless run to start an IPL season, much like the last campaign, and to quickly nip those worries in the bud they will need a win in Ahmedabad when they face the "home" team Rajasthan Royals in their IPL 2015 game on Tuesday.
MI, the IPL 2013 champions, have lost both their IPL 2015 matches so far, and that too rather handsomely.
They were completely outclassed in a chase by the Kolkata Knight Riders in the opening match of the tournament, before falling to the Kings XI Punjab in their usual fortress that is the Wankhede on Sunday.
The Mumbai Indians at least had an excuse for their slow start last season due to the fact that the first phase was being played in the UAE, but with this IPL back at home for the entire season, there really is no reason why MI, with such a star-studded lineup, should struggles as much as they have.
In both games the top order, in some shape or form, collapsed, leaving the rest of the batsmen/tail-enders with too much to do. In the first match Rohit Sharma and Corey Anderson had to produce a recovery job, after MI lost three quick wickets, which eventually cost them about 20 runs towards the end.
And in the second game on Sunday, MI found themselves at 25/4 and then 59/6, which also proved to be the reason behind their chase falling 18 runs short, despite the heroics of Harbhajan Singh, who played a wonderfully blistering knock.
The bowling was better from MI in the second game, though, even if there were a few chinks. The way Harbhajan bowled would have pleased the Mumbai Indians camp, with the off-spinner conceding just 20 runs in his four-over spell while picking up a couple of wickets as well. Rookie Jagadeesha Suchith, replacing the experienced Pragyan Ojha, was a little expensive, but impressed in spurts and given more opportunities, he could prove to be a good foil to Harbhajan.
MI's pace attack, however, needs a lot of work with only Lasith Malinga really pulling his weight, and the Rajasthan Royals, after two impressive wins, will target an early assault on the opposition bowlers.
The Royals have shown their ability to pull out all the stops for a win already, encapsulated perfectly in that victory over the Delhi Daredevils on Sunday. Dead and buried at quite a few stages in a tall chase, the Royals somehow found a way through, eventually hitting a boundary off the last ball to clinch the match.
Having beaten the Kings XI Punjab convincingly in their opening game, this victory only emphasised their tag as one of the contenders for the title, with both wins also coming without their skipper Shane Watson.
Once Watson returns, there will be more firepower in their batting, although, it must be said, Chris Morris has performed quite well in the Australian's absence.
With Steven Smith to take-off in this IPL 2015 as well, the signs are ominous for the Mumbai Indians, and if they don't get their bowling and batting in order, they could be headed for a third straight defeat.
Where to Watch Live
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The Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians match is scheduled for an 8 pm IST (3.30 pm BST, 10.30 am ET) start with live coverage in India on Sony Max, Sony Six, Sony Kix and Sony Aath. Catch the IPL 2015 match via live streaming online in India on Starsports.com and Hotstar.
Viewers in the US can catch the IPL 8 game live on ESPN, while the live stream option is on ESPN Cricket. Audience in the Middle East can catch the match live on OSN and OSN Play, while Canada viewers can do the same on Sportsnet and Watch Sportsnet.
Audience in the UK and Europe can catch RR vs MI Live on Sky Sports 1, while all the action can also be live streamed on Watch Sky Sports and Sky Go. Viewers around the world can also catch Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians live on Cricketgateway.com.
