The highly anticipated showdown between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in this year’s Indian Premier League is set to take place on Thursday at the electrifying Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Under the leadership of Hardik Pandya, MI will square off against Faf du Plessis‘s RCB in the 25th match of the tournament, marking a crucial encounter for both teams, who find themselves in a precarious position early in the ongoing cash-rich league.
Despite being five-time IPL champions, MI currently occupies the 8th spot on the points table with 1 win and 3 losses from their 4 matches while the Bengaluru-based franchise sits in the 9th place having secured one victory and suffered 4 losses in their 5 matches so far.
What has happened so far?
Speaking of the hosts, Mumbai Indians and their skipper, Hardik Pandya, endured a barrage of criticism after suffering three consecutive defeats. Their first match against Gujarat Titans saw them stumble from a commanding position, falling short by a mere 6 runs in pursuit of 169.
Their woes compounded in the subsequent clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad, where they conceded a staggering 277 runs, marking the highest total in IPL history. Despite a valiant effort, they fell short by 31 runs in the chase. The troubles persisted when they faced Rajasthan Royals at home, with MI Paltan posting a modest total of 125 runs which the visitors chased down comfortably in just 15.3 overs.
However, Mumbai Indians finally found redemption in their latest match against Delhi Capitals, clinching a victory through a collective team effort.
Similarly, RCB embarked on a tumultuous journey, commencing with a defeat against Chennai Super Kings. However, they staged a comeback in a thrilling encounter against Punjab Kings, clinching victory by 4 wickets.
Hosting Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Supergiants, RCB stumbled, failing to secure wins in both matches. Their luck didn’t change in Jaipur either, as they succumbed to a six-wicket loss against Rajasthan Royals, fueled by a stunning century from Jos Buttler.
Head to Head Record
The enduring rivalry between these two powerhouses, which has spanned since 2008, has seen them clash 32 times in the past. In this head-to-head battle, the Men in Blue have emerged triumphant more often than RCB, with Mumbai securing victory 18 times compared to Bengaluru’s 14 wins.
Nevertheless, in their most recent five encounters, the Faf-led side has demonstrated its dominance by clinching victory on four occasions, leaving MI with just one win, which occurred in their latest face-off.
Key Players
Jasprit Bumrah (Mumbai Indians): Jasprit Bumrah poses a significant threat to the RCB batters boasting an impressive record. In 18 encounters against RCB, Bumrah has claimed 24 wickets, showcasing his lethal bowling prowess with an average, strike rate, and economy rate of 22.16, 17.50, and 7.60 respectively.
Recently, in the clash against Delhi Capitals, Bumrah achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first Indian and second player overall after Lasith Malinga to claim 150 IPL wickets for a single team.
Notably, the speedster has dismissed Virat Kohli five times in IPL encounters, and the team management will be eager for him to add to that tally in the upcoming clash.
Kohli has smashed 8 IPL centuries, the most by any player
Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bengaluru): Standing as the sole warrior for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Virat Kohli currently adorns the orange cap, symbolising his feat as the top run-scorer in the ongoing tournament.
Across five matches, the RCB stalwart has plundered 316 runs, with an average of 105.3 and a striking rate of 146.29, highlighted by two fifties and a century.
In his 32 clashes against Mumbai, Kohli has amassed 852 runs, averaging over 30. With his scintillating form, anticipation runs high that Kohli’s bat will once again ignite on Thursday night.
Team News from Both Camps
In terms of team updates, fans from both camps can breathe a sigh of relief as there are no notable injury concerns. However, recent strategic adjustments in their respective line-ups have yielded contrasting results:
MI welcomed back Suryakumar Yadav, a significant boost after his injury sidelined him for the first three games. He replaced Naman Dhir, while Mohammad Nabi and Romario Shepherd stepped in for Dewald Brevis and Kwena Maphaka respectively.
Meanwhile, RCB granted a debut cap to batting all-rounder Saurav Chauhan, sidelining Anuj Rawat due to inconsistent performances and the Royal Challengers would be hoping that the trio of Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, and Cameron Green step up in the next fixture or they could be benched to strengthen the middle order.
Predicted XIs
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya ©, Tim David, Mohammad Nabi, Romario Shepherd, Piyush Chawla, Nuwan Thushara, Jasprit Bumrah
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis ©, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Saurav Chauhan, Reece Topley, Mayank Dagar, Mohammed Siraj, Vijaykumar Vyshak
Prediction
Given Bengaluru’s nearly 9-year drought without a victory against MI at Wankhede Stadium and considering the recent performances of both teams, the home team appears to have a slight advantage in securing their second win of the tournament.