RCB skipper Virat Kohli
In a mouth-watering contest at Abu Dhabi, two heavyweights and table-toppers, Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore, are set to consolidate their position in the upper half of the points table. While clouds are looming over Rohit Sharma's return to the playing XI, the Mumbai side will aim to bounce back after their recent drubbing against Rajasthan Royals.
The Mumbai Paltan, led by Kieron Pollard, was decimated by Rajasthan Royals by eight wickets in the most recent IPL 2020 fixture. Despite their recent defeat, rather a disappointing one, MI are comfortably sitting first in the lot with 14 points from 11 games.
To seal the playoffs spot, the MI camp will be hoping to put up a robust performance against RCB. One positive aspect for MI in their eight-wicket drubbing against RR was the performance of their batting force. Led by Hardik Pandya's carnage (60* off 21), they had managed to post 195-run total on the board.
RCB, in their pursuit, to clinch maiden IPL trophy, also have 14 points under their belt with seven wins so far. Vying for the silverware, Kohli's men will also brace the field after suffering a defeat against Chennai Super Kings on Sunday. After putting up a modest total of 145, RCB's failed to put any pressure on CSK's batting unit which hunted down the total with eight deliveries to spare.
As both the sides meet, let's take a look at some of the key stats:
Head to Head: Both the giants have met on 28 occasions so far, where MI have registered victory on 18 occasions. However, it was RCB who was on the top in the previous fixture between both these sides.
At venue: Interestingly, RCB haven't lost against MI on a single occasion in the UAE. The Virat Kohli-led side had decimated Kolkata Knight Riders by eight wickets in their last encounter at Abu Dhabi. Batting first, KKR was wrapped up on meagre 84 by RCB's bowling force.
Crucial stats:
- All eyes will be on Jasprit Bumrah to make an impact with the ball. In 14 games against the Bangalore side, he has managed to take 16 wickets.
- Yuzvendra Chahal will be heading the RCB bowling unit. He has been the leading wicket-taker for the Bangalore franchise against MI. While facing the defending champions 12 times, Chahal has 17 wickets to his name.
- Kohli, who had slammed in an impressive half-century in his previous IPL 2020 game, will be itching to keep the momentum going. He has gathered 628 runs against the four-time IPL champions.
- Kieron Pollard will be hoping to lead MI from the front with his all-round abilities. In the RCB-MI encounter this season, he had slammed an unbeaten 24-ball 60 at Dubai.
