RCB finally got a win under their belt after six losses in a row, and that will give them confidence as they face Mumbai Indians, who are coming after a loss to Rajasthan Royals. The track at the Wankhede has always been a belter and with short boundaries on offer, the big-hitters from both sides will be fancying their chances.
RCB will need to win all their remaining games in order to qualify for the top-four, while MI are placed third with eight points from their seven games. They have a better bowling attack with the likes of Yuzvendra Chahal and Jasprit Bumrah, but on these kind of pitches, the bowling is often reduced to nothing, with the batters taking them apart.
As far as the playing XI goes, RCB might go in unchanged, while MI might ponder replacing Jason Behrendorff with Lasith Malinga, who has returned and is available to play the rest of the tournament for them.
Player Recommendations:
Wicket-keeper: Parthiv Patel (8.5 credits)
Though Quinton de Kock from MI scored a fifty in the last game, he is worth more credits, and as I want to have both AB de Villiers and Kohli in my team, I have to overlook Quinton for Parthiv Patel. The RCB keeper is not having the worst tournament either, scoring 191 runs at a strike-rate close to 130. The small ground at the Wankhede will work in his favour and he would be eager to give
RCB finally got a win under their belt after six losses in a row, and that will give them confidence as they face Mumbai Indians, who are coming after a loss to Rajasthan Royals. The track at the Wankhede has always been a belter and with short boundaries on offer, the big-hitters from both sides will be fancying their chances.
RCB will need to win all their remaining games in order to qualify for the top-four, while MI are placed third with eight points from their seven games. They have a better bowling attack with the likes of Yuzvendra Chahal and Jasprit Bumrah, but on these kind of pitches, the bowling is often reduced to nothing, with the batters taking them apart.
As far as the playing XI goes, RCB might go in unchanged, while MI might ponder replacing Jason Behrendorff with Lasith Malinga, who has returned and is available to play the rest of the tournament for them.
Player Recommendations:
Wicket-keeper: Parthiv Patel (8.5 credits)
Though Quinton de Kock from MI scored a fifty in the last game, he is worth more credits, and as I want to have both AB de Villiers and Kohli in my team, I have to overlook Quinton for Parthiv Patel. The RCB keeper is not having the worst tournament either, scoring 191 runs at a strike-rate close to 130. The small ground at the Wankhede will work in his favour and he would be eager to give his side the desired start.
Batsman: Virat Kohli (11 credits)
Trust Kohli to rise to the occasion when his team is down in the dumps. That is exactly what he did against Punjab as well, as he opened the innings and scored a sedate 67 in 53 balls to help AB de Villiers and Marcus Stoinis consolidate and take the team across. He also became the highest Indian run-scorer in T20s in the process, and the team will need more such efforts if they have dreams of finishing in the top-four.
All-rounder: Hardik Pandya (9.5 credits)
The dangerous all-rounder is an asset for any side, as he has the potential to turn the game around with either bat or ball. The younger Pandya brother has taken 6 wickets in 7 games, and has scored close to 150 runs at a strike-rate of 184. He has faced only 81 balls, as he comes down the order, but if he is on the field after the loss of early wickets, he has the potential to anchor the innings and flourish at the end.
Bowler: Jasprit Bumrah (9 credits)
Bumrah picked up two wickets against Rajasthan Royals, and just about makes it to the team based on that performance. Though he is a good economical bowler, he is not the greatest point-earner as he is often not among many wickets. However, he knows the conditions at Wankhede well - much better than Chahal - and hence he remains the bowler to watch out for.
Uncapped Player: Suryakumar Yadav (9 credits)
Suryakumar is not having the best IPL this season, but he is talented and has the skills to turn it around. He was a revelation for MI last year, as he scored more than 500 runs whilst opening the innings at a strike-rate of 133.33. Though he is not opening this season, he is coming in at No. 3, and he would want to consolidate and lead the team to a big score.
Captain: Virat Kohli
Vice-captain: AB de Villiers
Predicted Playing XI:
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (c), Quinton de Kock, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan (wk), Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Alzarri Joseph, Rahul Chahar, Jason Behrendorff/Evin Lewis, Jasprit Bumrah
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Parthiv Patel (wk), Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villiers, Marcus Stoinis, Moeen Ali, Akshdeep Nath, Pawan Negi, Umesh Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Navdeep Saini, Mohammed Siraj
