RCB Vs MI, Match Preview
RCB has now lost seven games in a row in the UAE. They seem to find it tough on the slow surfaces, particularly with a side that’s used to playing on a small ground like the Chinnaswamy. At home they hit some of the biggest sixes, and games tend to have a lot of big shots.
The Mumbai Indians are in a similar boat. They are used to the fast paced Wankhede, where big scores are a norm. The ground favours their arsenal of six-hitters, and it has brought them immense success. They proved their adaptability last season, by bringing their big shots into the UAE. They were very aggressive last season, but this season the surfaces seem slower than before. The surfaces aren’t as fresh or hard, making it tough for the batters to get going.
Both sides come into this game under pressure. They lost two in a row, and Kolkata’s rise gives an additional challenge to their playoff targets. Mumbai’s batting hasn’t fired yet, and that is a concern. With the new ball the easiest to score against, Mumbai will have to find ways to score quickly at the top.
For RCB, the middle-order is where the issue lies. Kohli and Padikkal have done a fair job at the top. The bowling was decent against Chennai, but couldn’t close out the game with few runs to defend.
RCB Vs MI, Team News
Hardik Pandya’s absence is still under the scanner. There isn’t much news regarding his fitness and workload, and he is still out of the side. Mumbai built their IPL 2020 title through a plan of deploying six-hitters one after the other. With Rohit, Suryakumar, Pollard, Kishan and the Pandyas, they have the names to pull of such a trick again.
At the start of the IPL Virat Kohli decided to move up the order in a bid to recreate his 2016 success. He has done a fair job, but has not received too much support from the middle-order this time. They put Tim David in to bolster the middle-order, but the extra batter didn’t make a big difference, as they crumbled in the death.
RCB Vs MI, Predicted XIs
Royal Challengers Bangalore: 1 Devdutt Padikkal, 2 Virat Kohli (capt), 3 Glenn Maxwell, 4 AB de Villiers, 5 Rajat Patidar, 6 Tim David, 7 Srikar Bharat (wk), 8 Harshal Patel, 9 Navdeep Saini/Shahbaz Ahmed, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal
Mumbai Indians: 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Rohit Sharma (capt), 3 Suryakumar Yadav, 4 Ishan Kishan, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Krunal Pandya, 7 Hardik Pandya/Saurabh Tiwary, 8 Adam Milne, 9 Rahul Chahar, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Jasprit Bumrah
RCB Vs MI, Players to Watch out for
Suryakumar Yadav
Last season, Suryakumar Yadav finished as one of the best players in the tournament. He cleared the boundaries with ease, and dominated the tournament. This season, he has not found his deft touch and timing, and that has affected Mumbai badly. His runs are crucial, and Mumbai will be sweating on his form, as he provides Mumbai with a crucial key in the middle-overs.
Tim David
Tim David is a big name in the BBL and CPL. He is a strong finisher, and the Singaporean batter has now arrived at the IPL. His arrival didn’t go so well, as he couldn’t get his big hits in against CSK. He is likely to stay in the eleven, and his presence along with Maxwell, and Ab De Villiers can help RCB very well in the death overs.
RCB Vs MI, Pitch Report
The surfaces in Dubai have all been a touch slow. The balls have kept low, and spin has played a role in the games so far. Dubai did have some swing early on, but bowlers who rely on accuracy tend to do better here. With bigger boundaries, batting may be a little more challenging. Batting first is a good option, as the pitch gets slower as the game progresses.
