Having recorded three consecutive wins in opposition to Mumbai Indians of their final 5 conferences since IPL 2020, the RCB, who’re as soon as once more seeking their maiden title win within the league, would wish to make a profitable begin in entrance of their loyal followers on the M Chinnaswamy Stadium right here.
However, it stays to be seen how RCB will cope with out gamers like Rajat Patidar and Josh Hazlewood, who each have been sidelined for a minimum of the primary half of this IPL as a result of accidents. Australian Glenn Maxwell can also be unlikely to function in Sunday’s sport.
While England’s Will Jacks will miss the complete season, it’s to be seen how Maxwell shapes up provided that he missed the final two ODIs for Australia in opposition to India within the latest sequence after taking part in the primary match in Mumbai.
Patidar was RCB’s third highest-scorer final 12 months with 333 runs in eight matches at 55.50, together with two fifties. He hit the quickest century by an Indian in IPL within the Qualifier 1. On the opposite hand, Australia’s Hazlewood was the group’s second most profitable bowler with 20 wickets in 20 matches.
RCB may even have to attend for his or her Sri Lankan spin ace Wanindu Hasaranga, who’s in New Zealand on nationwide obligation. He will miss just a few opening video games.
Nevertheless, the late inclusion of New Zealand’s Michael Bracewell is predicted to supply RCB with an aggressive batter decrease down the order. The presence of Dinesh Karthik down the order additionally makes RCB a fearful facet.
While captain Faf du Plessis and former skipper Virat Kohli are anticipated to do the heavy lifting within the top-order batting, pacers Harshal Patel and Mohammed Siraj would be the strike bowlers.
Du Plessis completed the inaugural SA20 as second most prolific batter with 369 runs final month, whereas Kohli will look to gentle up the IPL stage as soon as once more, having tasted success in white-ball cricket in latest months.
The inclusion of Reece Topley has offered a shot within the arm to RCB’s bowling with a top quality left-arm pacer who has plenty of specialities for the shortest format within the ranks.
Mumbai Indians ended the final IPL on the final spot within the factors desk with solely 4 wins to indicate from 14 matches. The most profitable group in IPL historical past with 5 trophies of their cupboard, Mumbai will purpose to place their finest foot ahead in opposition to a formidable RCB facet.
Without their ace bowler Jasprit Bumrah and Jhye Richardson who’re dominated out for the season, MI’s hopes will probably be pinned on Jofra Archer to fill the void and information the opposite bowlers that the group administration has marked out. Archer can have Australia’s Jason Behrendorff for firm together with Akash Madhwal.
Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma and the skilled Suryakumar Yadav would be the linchpins within the batting division, which now options younger gamers comparable to Tilak Verma, Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs and Tim David. Ishan Kishan will probably be anticipated to achieve consistency with the bat as he’s additionally the group’s earmarked wicketkeeper.
While Cameron Green is a precious addition to the group, Mumbai Indians look a bit gentle on the spin entrance with former India spinner Piyush Chawla main the pack that additionally options Kumar Kartikeya who auditioned for them final 12 months with 4 matches.
The Teams (from):
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Mohammad Siraj, Harshal Patel, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Shahbaz Ahmed, Anuj Rawat, Akash Deep, Mahipal Lomror, Finn Allen, Suyash Prabhudesai, Karn Sharma, Siddarth Kaul, David Willey, Reece Topley, Himanshu Sharma, Manoj Bhandage, Rajan Kumar, Avinash Singh, Sonu Yadav, Michael Bracewell.
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Tim David, Dewald Brevis, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tristan Stubbs, Vishnu Vinod, Cameron Green, Arjun Tendulkar, Ramandeep Singh, Shams Mulani, Nehal Wadhera, Hrithik Shokeen, Arshad Khan, Duan Jansen, Piyush Chawla, Kumar Kartikeya, Raghav Goyal, Jofra Archer, Jason Behrendorff, Akash Madhwal
Match Starts at 7:30 pm IST.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com