After facing a tough defeat in the season opener against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will be playing their first home game on Thursday. The Mumbai Indians (MI) are their opponents who also conceded their opening game to the Delhi Capitals (DC). Both the teams will be eager to get on the board as soon as possible as they are often guilty of getting off to bad start to the season.
Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai franchise strode out with a different combination in the first game which didn’t work. Their bowling seemed pretty weak and the team management will be keen on correcting the mistake right away. They have also got Lasith Malinga boost with the SLC reversing its stance and allowing him to play in the tournament. Though it is still unsure whether he will be available for this game.
The situation is something similar in the RCB camp as well. Their star-studded batting didn’t click at the Chepauk and the onus will be once again on them big time. Also, it will be interesting to see the behaviour of the Chinnaswamy track which has slowed down considerably over the last couple of years. Having said that, the home advantage is with the RCB and they are expected to punch above their weight.
Match Details:
The seventh game of the IPL between RCB and MI will be hosted by the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
The match starts at 08:00 PM local time (02:30 PM GMT).
The game will be live on Star Sports in India. (Live streaming on Hotstar).
Weather Conditions:
The sun will be out the whole day in Bengaluru on Thursday and the temperatures will hover in the mid-30s. However, in the lead up to the game, it will come down under 30 Degrees which will make the players and the fans feel better. But with two teams clashing, the heat will be on in the middle.
Last five completed T20 matches: (Most recent- first)
Royal Challengers Bangalore: L, L, W, W, W
Mumbai Indians: L, L, W, L, W
Pitch Condition/Report:
Average 1st innings score: 191 (Last five night T20 matches)
Record of chasing teams: Won – 3, Lost – 2
Probable Playing XI:
Royal Challengers Bangalore:
Parthiv Patel (wk), Virat Kohli (c), Moeen Ali, AB de Villiers, Shimron Hetmyer, Shivam Dube, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini.
Bench: Devdutt Padikkal, Himmat Singh, Milind Kumar, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Colin de Grandhomme, Pawan Negi, Akshdeep Nath, Prayas Barman, Heinrich Klaasen, Navdeep Saini, Kulwant Khejroliya, Washington Sundar.
Mumbai Indians:
Rohit Sharma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Krunal Pandya, Yuvraj Singh, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Ben Cutting, Mitchell McClenaghan, Mayank Markande, Jasprit Bumrah.
Bench: Ishan Kishan, Siddhesh Lad, Evin Lewis, Anmolpreet Singh, Anukul Roy, Pankaj Jaiswal, Aditya Tare, Rahul Chahar, Barinder Sran, Rasikh Salam, Jayant Yadav.
Team News:
Jasprit Bumrah trained on Tuesday with the team and will most likely play this game.
SLC has allowed Lasith Malinga to play but there is no update about his availability for this match.
Power Picks:
Kieron Pollard vs RCB in Bengaluru: 200 runs from seven innings at an average of 50 with two fifties.
Captain Options: Quinton de Kock, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Kieron Pollard
Vice-Captain Options: Krunal Pandya, Moeen Ali, Yuvraj Singh
Suggested Playing XI No.1 for Head to Head/ Small Leagues:
Keeper – Quinton de Kock (VC)
Batsmen – Virat Kohli (C), AB de Villiers, Shimron Hetmyer, Yuvraj Singh, Kieron Pollard
All-Rounders – Moeen Ali, Krunal Pandya
Bowlers – Yuzvendra Chahal, Mitchell McClenaghan, Jasprit Bumrah.
Suggested Playing XI No.2 for Grand/Mega Leagues:
Keeper – Parthiv Patel
Batsmen – Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers (C), Rohit Sharma (VC), Kieron Pollard, Suryakumar Yadav
All-Rounders – Moeen Ali, Krunal Pandya
Bowlers – Tim Southee, Mohammed Siraj, Mitchell McClenaghan.
Expert Advice:
Krunal Pandya has got the better of AB de Villiers most of the times. He could be a risky pick for this game.
Kieron Pollard has a great record at the Chinnaswamy stadium.
Only two of De Villiers, Rohit and Kohli could be picked if Hardik Pandya has to make it to the fantasy team.
Prediction: Mumbai Indians will win the match.
*Disclaimer: This team is based on the understanding, analysis and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.
