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Preview: M14 - MI vs RCB
20 Apr, 2016
Preview: M14 - MI vs RCB
20 Apr, 2016
What
Match 14 of VIVO IPL 2016 will see the Mumbai Indians clash with the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Both teams are coming at the back of defeats and will be keen to return to winning ways. While MI lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad in Hyderabad, RCB lost to the Delhi Daredevils at home.
Both teams have reasons to worry and problem areas to address. The form of the batsmen presents MI a worry; in the three matches they have batted first, the MI top order has caved in and the team has only managed scores of 121-8, 143-8 and 142-6. There is no dearth of resources and it is only a question of the players applying themselves better.
Where RCB are concerned, they will be missing the services of the destructive Chris Gayle, who has returned to Jamaica to be with his wife for their child’s birth. While RCB will certainly be worried that they frittered away a fantastic platform in the previous match, the bigger worry surrounds the performance of their bowlers; RCB’s bowling economy rate across the two matches is 9.55. The absence of Gayle means RCB will be forced to make a change to their XI. It will be interesting to see if they utilise this opportunity to bolster their bowling attack.
When
20 April 2016, 2000 Hrs IST
Where
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Weather
Temperature: Max 31°c, Min 30°c
Humidity: Max 69%
Wind: 15kmph
The Protagonists
Mumbai Indians got a few things right in their previous match; the move to promote Ambati Rayudu to number three yielded instant results. There is plenty of firepower in the middle – with Krunal Pandya throwing his name into the list of big-hitters in the MI middle-order – and it is therefore important that the defending champions get off to a good start and establish a platform from which to launch. It is in this context that skipper Rohit Sharma plays a crucial role. With their current combination, Rohit could consider partnering the explosive Martin Guptill and look at batting through the innings.
The spotlight will surely be on Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers – two players who have been batting on a different plane altogether. SRH and DD found it extremely difficult to dislodge the duo, who have been involved in partnerships of 157 and 107, and who have contributed to the extent of 70% of the runs scored by RCB.
Head to Head
The Mumbai Indians have a slight edge where contests between them and Royal Challengers Bangalore are concerned. The two teams have so far clashed on 17 occasions, with MI winning on 9 occasions and RCB emerging victors in the other 8.
In matches played at the Wankhede Stadium though, RCB have the edge, having won 3 of their 5 matches against MI.
Trivia
Over the years, RCB have played 12 matches without Chris Gayle in their XI; they’ve emerged victorious in only 4 of those 12 matches.
The team chasing has been victorious in 11 of the 13 T20 matches played at the Wankhede Stadium this year.
Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers have both taken 49 catches as fielders (in the IPL).
RCB have scored 67.46% of their runs in VIVO IPL 2016 through boundaries – that’s the highest boundary among all teams. On the bowling front too, RCB have conceded the highest percentage of runs through boundaries – 60.43%.
What Next
The Mumbai Indians will head to the national capital where they clash with the Delhi Daredevils on April 23. Royal Challengers Bangalore meanwhile fly over to neighbouring Pune to clash with the Rising Pune Supergiants on April 22.
