Fresh from recording their maiden victory of the ongoing IPL season, Mumbai Indians will be seeking for a second straight win when they host an inconsistent Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.
MI, the perennial slow starters of the IPL, finally got their campaign back on track after a hat-trick of losses, with a morale-boosting 29-run victory over Delhi Capitals in their previous home match on Sunday, and will gun for some consistency as they head into their fifth game of the season.
A contest against a floundering RCB could not only bring about their second successive win but also provide them the cushion of confidence, before facing defending champions Chennai Super Kings.
For that, Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan will once again have to set the scoring tempo at the top, the middle-order has to carry the momentum for which skipper Hardik Pandya is answerable to a large extent. On Sunday, Pandya’s sluggish knock came under a lot of criticism, and eventually it was Romario Shepherd’s blitz against Anrich Nortje for 32 runs in the final over that clearly proved to be the difference against DC, since the visitors managed to go past the 200-run mark despite not looking threatening enough while chasing an imposing 235-run target.
Suryakumar Yadav failed to live up to the billing on his return and the Mumbai crowd will be keen to see the world’s no. 1 T20 batter hitting the strides and getting a big score. Against DC, Tim David came up with a breezy knock, and would be hoping to do an encore against the listless RCB bowling unit.
On the bowling front, MI boasts of one of the potent pace attack, led by Jasprit Burmah, and includes the likes of Gerald Coetzee, Pandya and Shepherd. Shams Mulani and Mohammed Nabi form the spin unit of the side.
Meanwhile, the RCB would still be licking their wounds after suffering four losses in five matches, the latest coming at the hands of Rajasthan Royals, discounting Virat Kohli’s first century of the season.
However, there is nothing much to separate the two teams as RCB are just a rung below MI in the points table at the ninth position.
Kohli’s imperious form — 316 runs with one century and two fifties at a strike rate of 146.29, remains the only positive for the RCB during their campaign so far, and they would desperately be hoping that their top and middle order, packed with big international names — skipper Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell and Cameroon Green — finally delivers.
Skipper Du Plessis (109 runs), Maxwell (32) and Green (68) have found the going hard during the last five outings, and as the tournament rapidly approaches the mid-way stage, it will be imperative that the trio finds their groove.
The RCB management’s problems compounded as the bowling attack has been equally lacklustre, with the pace bowling unit comprising Mohammed Siraj, Green, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal have been found wanting. Maxwell’s part-time off-spin has been better than their regular bowlers.
Four wins from their last five encounters against MI could be the only mental boost that the RCB could take to the field but can they outclass MI on the basis of their form in IPL 2024, remains to be seen at the Sea of Blue (Wankhede) on Thursday.