A high-octane clash, most-anticipated clash, most-awaited clash, throw whatever names you have, it is going to be a thrilling contest at Bangalore when Mumbai Indians lock horns with Royal Challengers Bangalore. Both the teams are in a similar position where none of them is looking for anything less than a victory.
RCB – A worried bunch:
Royal Challengers Bangalore got great coaches in the name of Gary Kirstein, Vettori and a great skipper in the name of Virat Kohli but unfortunately, they didn’t get someone who can bail them out with their bowling. RCB are struggling with their death bowling and already been the victims in the season because of that. However, they are still hoping for the turnaround and the game against Mumbai should be the starting point for resurgence.
Batting has been good for the home side. They have got the likes of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Quinton and Mandeep who can deliver the goods. But, the bowlers never gave enough support for his skipper thus being the wrong side of the things. Most likely, Virat Kohli would do repairing for his bowling department to come good against star-studded MI.
MI – Back on track:
It seems like Mumbai Indians got their lost mojo back in their previous encounter when they outsmarted Chennai Super Kings pretty convincingly. Rohit Sharma took the bold call by dropping Kieron Pollard and Mustafizur Rahman but yielded the result in team’s favour which is the ultimate thing for a skipper. Most likely, he will stick to the same unit.
Surya Kumar Yadav is relishing his form while Rohit Sharma got back to his own in his previous clash. He has a stunning record against RCB which he would love to better tonight. Meanwhile, they need to encounter the serious threat in the form of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers who will take the game away in a matter of 2-3 overs.
However, a solid clash is on its way to entertain the fans to the core. The winning team will progress in the tourney with a right confidence while the losing team will shrink in their chances to make a way into the top 4 of the points table.
Possible XI:
Royal Challengers: Quinton de Kock (wk), Sarfraz Khan, Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villiers, Mandeep Singh, Colin de Grandhomme, Umesh Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Tim Southee, Navdeep Saini, Murugan Ashwin.
Mumbai Indians: Jean-Paul Duminy, Rohit Sharma (c), Mitchell McClenaghan, Suryakumar Yadav, Ben Cutting, Evin Lewis, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan (wk), Krunal Pandya, Mayank Markande
When & Where to watch:
Date & Venue: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, 1st May 2018 at 20:00 IST
Pitch Report: The wicket will favour the batsman but the spinners will get a lot of purchase.