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Match Details
Date: 09 April 2022
Time: 7:30 PM IST
Venue: MCA Stadium, Pune
Ball-by-ball Commentary: SportsTiger App
Preview
Match number 18 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 will witness Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians face off against each other at the MCA Stadium. While both teams lie in the bottom half of the points table, there is a stark difference in the results they have produced so far. While Bangalore have won two out of their three matches, Mumbai are yet to win a game this season having played 3 matches. When the two teams meet, more will be on the line for the five-time champions than Bangalore.
Pitch Report:
It is one of those rare wickets in IPL 2022 where dew does not have that much role in the game. This essentially means that teams batting first won't mind doing so in this surface as it is likely to remain the same throughout the game. It would be interesting to see whether teams continue to look to chase at this venue.
Team Analysis
Royal Challengers Bangalore:
While they still are yet to play their best cricket, for now, they have found a combination that is working for them. Are they looking at Anuj Rawat as a long-term prospect is something they would want to answer for themselves. Other than that, their batting looks great with the likes of Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli and Sherfane Rutherford in there.
However, it is the form of Dinesh Karthik that has certainly added more steel to their batting power. Glenn Maxwell will also be available for selection for this match. Wanindu Hasaranga, David Willey, Harshal Patel, Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj are likely to continue to share the bowling responsibilities.
Mumbai Indians:
Meanwhile, five-time champions will be desperate for a win here. Rohit Sharma needs to get back into runs especially in this batting line-up with his experience at the top of the order. Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma make for a good top 4 and even Dewald Brevis showed glimpses of his potential with the bat, coming in early against Kolkata Knight Riders with Kieron Pollard playing a finishing cameo, it is their bowling combination which hasn't really worked out.
Will they include somebody like a Jaydev Unadkat in their starting XI? Who will he replace will it be Daniel Sams who went for 35 runs against Pat Cummins or will it be Basil Thampi? All eyes will be on the MI's selection news at the toss on Saturday evening.
Match Prediction
Conclusion
Although Bangalore have 2 wins out of their 3 matches in IPL 2022, Mumbai have a better head-to-head record over Bangalore and will be hungry for a win. Backing the five-time champions to make get their first points on the board.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the author’s point of view. They neither reflect the opinion of SportsTiger nor advise anyone to make any prediction based on this. SportsTiger does not assume any responsibility and liability for the same.