At a glance:
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru have lost three of their last five matches
- Mumbai Indians boost their confidence after win over Lucknow Super Giants
- RCB’s bowlers Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar could play a key role in Raipur
When Royal Challengers Bengaluru takes on the Mumbai Indians in Raipur on Sunday, they will need their batting group to recover its strength in order to end a two-match losing run and restart their IPL campaign. With four wins in their opening games of the season, the Royal Challengers were off to a fast start, and the play-off entry seemed like a formality.
However, the circumstances are different now. The title holders entered a minor mid-tournament crisis after losing three of their previous five games. With 12 points from 10 games, RCB is now third in the standings and is still well-positioned to advance to the knockout stage.
However, the Bengaluru team will undoubtedly be aware that they have lost some momentum as the competition draws to a close. RCB is level with 12 points with the Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Titans. Following their game on Saturday in Jaipur, either RR or GT will take the lead, dropping the team to fourth place.
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RCB Batting Unit Must Get Runs
Aside from that external obstacle, RCB will need their batting group to rediscover its range. The points table situation alone is already a concern. RCB’s batters failed to chase down 155 on a slightly sticky Ahmedabad pitch against the Titans, and even the 9 run DLS defeat to the Lucknow Super Giants was not as close as the scoreline suggests. RCB needed 19 runs in the final over to get over the line but could not finish the job.
Mumbai’s bowling attack, featuring Will Jacks, Corbin Bosch, AM Ghazanfar, and Jasprit Bumrah, now looks even more formidable, at least on paper, for the RCB batters. The pitch remains something of an unknown, although Raipur is officially RCB’s home venue.
This weekend, the champions’ batters will need to perform at their highest level. In that context, a meaningful contribution from Jacob Bethell would be especially welcome for RCB. The lack of runs from wicketkeeper batter Jitesh Sharma is equally concerning, with 23 remaining his highest score of the season. He will need to reverse that trend quickly, as it has hurt RCB’s finishing strength in the closing overs.
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Test for Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood
The MI line up showed flashes of its brilliant past by successfully chasing down 228 against LSG in the most recent game, despite its own batting concerns. After an injury layoff, Rohit Sharma returned with a blistering 84 off 44 balls, and the win offered some relief after a string of losses. Rohit and opening partner Ryan Rickelton will now need to overcome RCB’s formidable new ball duo of Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Due to back spasms, Hardik Pandya was unable to play against Lucknow, and Suryakumar Yadav took over as captain. Pandya has traveled to Raipur, but before making a final decision on his availability for this match, his fitness will be meticulously observed.
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