RCB to face defending IPL champs MI in Dubai
Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians will square off at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday night. RCB are placed third in the points table whereas MI have slipped to sixth spot.
The contest will begin at 7:30 pm (India Time). Both teams are coming off a loss. Bangalore lost to Chennai Super Kings by six wickets, while Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Mumbai Indians by six wickets on Thursday.
Expected Playing XI
RCB
Virat Kohli (c), Devdutt Padikkal, Srikar Bharat, Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers, Tim David, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Kyle Jamieson, Yuzvendra Chahal.
MI
Quinton de Kock (wk), Rohit Sharma (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Saurabh Tiwary, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Adam Milne, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult.
Probable best performers
Devdutt Padikkal
Padikkal lit up the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the last game where he scored 70 runs in a jiffy. His partnerships with skipper Virat Kohli provided RCB with a sublime foundation.
The 21-year-old did not get going from the beginning of this campaign but he’s gradually getting into the groove. The lefty-righty duo has been instrumental in Bangalore’s powerplay handling so far.
With a century in this edition of the IPL, Padikkal is knocking at the BCCI’s door for a spot in the T20 side. Keeping him restricted will be a tough ask for the MI bowlers.
Kieron Pollard
Pollard has shown glimpses of power hitting in the UAE so far. He has, however, been rather inconsistent with the bat, but he could never be counted out.
If the West Indies skipper gets going in the death overs, the Bangalore pace cartel can concede a chunk of runs in a matter of a few overs.
Match prediction
Bangalore and Mumbai have been below par this season. RCB got off to a flying start this year, beating MI in the season opener, but things have not been the same for Virat Kohli and co ever since the UAE leg began.
Mumbai Indians got four wins after a sluggish start, but alike RCB, they’ve lost both of their last matches in the UAE leg of the tournament.
While both franchises are desperate for a victory, a thriller is expected to go down in Dubai.
Bangalore has the upper hand over the reigning champions, winning five games this season. Their batting has been below their standard, but they should be familiar with the conditions in the UAE by now.
Given the T20 royalties they have in the form of AB de Villiers and Glenn Maxwell, RCB should make hay of the pressure game and cruise to another win.
Mumbai Indians have been rather inconsistent this season and have not shown their A-game yet. They’ve not capitalised on good starts and their key players such as Kieron Pollard and Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock haven’t gotten into the groove in UAE yet.
Hence, RCB are the favourites to win the Saturday contest.
