Mumbai Indians, still searching for consistency, will be hoping their batters step up and take charge when they face a confident Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their upcoming IPL clash on Monday. With three losses in four games, the five-time champions have endured another sluggish start to the season, plagued primarily by underwhelming performances with the bat.
So far, only two MI batters — Suryakumar Yadav and Ryan Rickelton — have managed to notch up half-centuries, highlighting their struggles. No other team in the tournament has seen fewer individual fifties, underlining the depth of Mumbai’s batting concerns.
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RCB, on the other hand, will be eyeing this as a chance to capitalise on MI’s vulnerabilities and turn up the pressure even more.
Virat Kohli, who started the season with an unbeaten 59 against KKR, has since struggled to find rhythm. However, RCB’s batting line-up remains potent, with Phil Salt and Devdutt Padikkal capable of explosive starts, and skipper Rajat Patidar offering stability through the middle.
Currently sitting third on the points table, RCB will be eager to return to winning ways after their recent defeat to Gujarat Titans.
PITCH REPORT FOR MI VS RCB
The red soil pitch offers consistent bounce, enabling batters to confidently execute their shots from the beginning. With short boundaries, both teams are likely to score heavily. At the Mumbai vs Bengaluru match, the toss-winning side will probably opt to field first, considering the dew factor later in the match that could hamper spinners' grip on the ball. Although KKR was dismissed under 150 in the sole match at Wankhede stadium during IPL 2025, the wicket remains batting-friendly, offering support to both pace and spin bowlers.
MI vs RCB TEAM PREDICTION
Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Ryan Rickelton(w), Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Ashwani Kumar, Vignesh Puthur
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal
MI vs RCB SQUADS, IPL MATCH TODAY
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Squad: Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Dar Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethell, Swapnil Singh, Abhinandan Singh, Romario Shepherd, Lungi Ngidi, Nuwan Thushara, Mohit Rathee, Swastik Chikara
Mumbai Indians Squad: Rohit Sharma, Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Naman Dhir, Ryan Rickelton,Robin Minz(w), Mitchell Santner, Jasprit Bumrah, Reece Topley, Trent Boult, Deepak Chahar, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Krishnan Shrijith, Karn Sharma, Corbin Bosch, Raj Bawa, Arjun Tendulkar, Bevon Jacobs, Ashwani Kumar, Satyanarayana Raju, Vignesh Puthur
MI vs RCB head-to-head
Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru have met 33 times in IPL history. MI have had the better record in their clashes - winning 19 with RCB clinching the other 14.
In IPL 2024, MI beat RCB by 7-wickets. In the last six matches between these two teams, RCB have won four of them.
MI vs RCB, Mumbai weather prediction
Weather conditions appear favourable for the MI vs RCB fixture in Mumbai, with no precipitation anticipated. The match will be played under warm conditions, with temperatures likely to remain above 35 degrees Celsius throughout the duration of play.
