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Preview: M41 - RCB vs MI
11 May, 2016
Preview: M41 - RCB vs MI
10 May, 2016
What
Royal Challengers Bangalore, with back-to-back wins behind them, will look to retain that momentum and make a move up the VIVO IPL 2016 standings, when they clash with the Mumbai Indians on Wednesday. RCB have four wins from nine matches, while MI have five wins from 10 outings and are fifth in the standings.
RCB have established a little bit of momentum with wins over Rising Pune Supergiants and Kings XI Punjab in their last two matches. The next few days presents them the opportunity to move up the ladder quickly; if results don’t go their way, they could distance them from the pack too. RCB’s batting line-up is among the best in business and the batsmen have done their bit almost everytime; it is in the bowling department that the team has been found wanting. But with the confidence of two wins – one of them coming in a nail-biter – the bowling attack will be reinforced with self-belief.
MI will be keen to shrug off their capitulation at the hands of Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday. The defending champions had come out of a 5-day break then and were playing at a new venue and it was always going to be a huge challenge for them to hit a rhythm straightaway. MI will be better off heading into this match; they’ve had some match time behind them and they will be playing in conditions pretty similar to the ones they encounter at their home ground – at the Wankhede Stadium. One can therefore expect their batsmen to come out firing all cylinders – firstly because they will still be hurting from their defeat the other day and secondly because they possibly will not come across better batting conditions than at Bengaluru.
When
11 May 2016, 2000 Hrs IST
Where
M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
Weather
Temperature: Max 29°c, Min 27°c
Humidity: Max 62%
Wind: 7kmph
The Protagonists
Among the RCB players – one doesn’t have to look beyond Virat Kohli, who has been batting like a dream. The RCB skipper, an epitome of consistency, has scored more runs than any other batsman in T20s in 2016 and has scored more runs at the Chinnaswamy Stadium than any other batsman. The 360 degree batsman – AB de Villiers – is another batsman who presents a serious threat to the opposition.
The success or failure of their captain Rohit Sharma has a significant bearing on the fortunes of the Mumbai Indians. On the bowling front, MI will look towards Mitchell McClenaghan, who has grown to become the leader of the pace attack, to cause some damage – especially upfront, and hope Jasprit Bumrah can play his part as well.
Head to Head
Mumbai Indians have a 10-8 win-loss record in the 18 IPL matches they’ve played against Royal Challengers Bangalore. This includes a 5-1 win-loss record in matches they’ve they played against RCB in Bengaluru.
Trivia
RCB and MI are among the two dangerous batting sides in the competition; RCB’s overall scoring rate of 9.40 is the highest among all teams, while Mumbai Indians’ boundary percentage of 58.09 is the highest among all teams.
Virat Kohli has a poor record in 18 IPL matches against the Mumbai Indians; he averages 23.87 and has only one half-century to his credit.
The last four matches between RCB & MI have been high-scoring affairs; in the recent four matches between the two teams, the match aggregate was more than 340 runs.
What Next
Games come thick and fast for RCB; their next clash is a home fixture against the Gujarat Lions scheduled to be played on May 14. Mumbai Indians meanwhile head back to their adopted home – Visakhapatnam – where they host Kings XI Punjab on May 13.
