Royal Challengers Bangalore will face Mumbai Indians in the fifth match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 on Sunday, April 2, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. Mumbai, the wooden spoon holders in the 2022 edition, would look to bring their A-game into play.
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Mumbai have many top-drawer players in their arsenal, and they would look to bring their A-game into play in the clash against the Bangalore franchise. As Rohit Sharma & Co. bid to kick-start their campaign with a win, let us look at the playing XI they can come up with.
Here’s Mumbai Indians’ predicted XI against Royal Challengers Bangalore
Openers: Rohit Sharma(c), Ishan Kishan (wk)
Rohit Sharma has been a bankable name in the Indian Premier League. He has put up an exhibition of his glorious stroke play and dismantled bowling attacks for fun. Also, the 35-year-old is an astute tactician of the game and has led Mumbai Indians to five IPL title victories.
However, Rohit was a pale shadow of his classic self in the 2022 season and could only score 268 runs in 14 games at a strike rate of 120.18. The veteran batter would look to vindicate himself and lead the way with the bat in the ongoing edition of the cash-rich league.
Ishan Kishan is likely to be Rohit’s opening partner in the clash against Royal Challengers Bangalore. The southpaw has taken the attack to the opposition right from the get-go and provided his side with crackling starts. He has featured in 75 matches and piled on 1870 runs at a strike rate of 132.34.
Middle Order: Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Tim David
Suryakumar Yadav has been a marauder with the bat and toyed with bowling attacks with his 360-degree stroke play. He has featured in 123 matches and smashed 2644 runs at a strike rate of 136.78. The ace batter would be itching to display his class in IPL 2023 and make the marquee tournament his own.
With Mumbai Indians having a destroyer in Suryakumar at number three, they are likely to slot in an accumulator like Tilak Varma at number four. Tilak was phenomenal in the IPL 2022 and notched up 397 runs at a strike rate of 131.02. He would look to replicate the same in the upcoming season.
Barring Suryakumar and Tilak, Mumbai will have the services of Tim David. David is one of the sought-after finishers in the T20 circuit and has taken down top-quality bowlers with his power-hitting might. He would look to put up a show with the bat in the encounter on Sunday.
All-rounders: Cameron Green, Ramandeep Singh
Cameron Green is one of the most exciting prospects in Australia’s cricketing circles. He has featured in eight matches and smashed 139 runs at a jaw-dropping strike rate of 173.75. The 23-year-old has bagged five wickets on the bowling front in those outings. He has also been superb in the ODIs, scoring 302 runs in 15 ODIs and picking up 11 scalps at an economy of 5.02.
Thus, when Green’s turn arrived at the auction, Mumbai Indians broke their bank to rope him into their side. MI spent an insane sum of INR 17.50 crore to acquire him. The Australian ace all-rounder would look to shine in the ongoing season of the lucrative T20 tournament and justify his price tag.
Besides Green, Mumbai will have Ramandeep Singh at their disposal to provide balance to the side. The 25-year-old has fared well in the domestic circuit, scoring 198 runs in 28 T20 matches and bagging 13 wickets at an economy of 8.11. The team management would hope he is at his best marquee event and helps Mumbai propel to the top of the IPL 2023 points table.
Bowlers: Jofra Archer, Jason Behrendorff, Kumar Kartikeya, Arshad Khan
Jofra Archer missed IPL 2022 due to an elbow jersey, but he is all set to don MI colors in the ongoing edition of the T20 extravaganza. He is known to torment batters with his fiery pace and wreak havoc with the ball. The England pacer would be itching to display his class against Bangalore.
Besides Archer, Mumbai’s fast-bowling department will likely have Jason Behrendorff and Arshad Khan in the mix. Behrendorff has been a proven performer in the T20 circuit and bagged 138 scalps in 119 matches in the shortest format. He would look to put his best foot forward in the forthcoming clash. Coming to Arshad, he is known to trouble batters with his swing and will be itching to make a mark with his bowling displays.
Last but not least, Mumbai have spinner Kumar Kartikeya at their disposal. He has featured in 18 T20 matches in the domestic circuit and bagged 19 wickets at an economy of 6.69. The 25-year-old would look to bamboozle RCB batters with his variations and provide timely breakthroughs to his side.
Impact Player scenarios:
Bat first scenario (Captain chooses the XI with an extra batter at toss)
Probable Impact Player:Â Piyush Chawla
Piyush Chawla has been a prominent figure in the lucrative T20 tournament. He has featured in 165 IPL games and bagged 157 wickets at an economy of 7.88. Piyush is a genuine wicket-taker, and thus, Mumbai could slot him into the team in the second innings to add more bite to the bowling.
Bowl first scenario (Captain chooses the XI with an extra bowler at toss)
Probable Impact Player:Â Vishnu Vinod
Vishnu Vinod has been a consistent performer in the Indian domestic circuit. He has featured in 50 T20 matches and scored 1191 runs at a strike rate of 138.81. If MI stutter during their chase, they could send Vinod and give him the freedom to play an aggressive brand of cricket to shift the momentum of the game.
MI Probable Playing XI:
Rohit Sharma(c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Tim David, Cameron Green, Ramandeep Singh, Jofra Archer, Jason Behrendorff, Kumar Kartikeya, Arshad Khan