IPL 2018

Slow starters RCB, MI cross paths at crucial juncture

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MI earlier won the home fixture against RCB.
MI earlier won the home fixture against RCB. © BCCI

As far as sporting cliches go - and there are plenty of them - the one about how much difference a win can make after a series of losses is top-drawer stuff. Why else would Mumbai Indians opener Suryakumar Yadav explicitly mention 'we've already forgotten about the defeats' in the pre-match press conference? Essentially, Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore reside on the same rocky boat, but the defending champions head into the first fixture of May with slightly more confidence. After all they arrive in Bengaluru after having defeated an on-song Chennai Super Kings side, and have reached that juncture in the season from where past experience suggests they can still flip it over.

Luckily for RCB, they too have some recent tryst with pulling off the unthinkable. At this stage in 2015, they had the same number of wins [2 in 7], and yet finished second on the table with eight wins in 14. The 2016 season too saw them endure starting problem [3 wins in the first 7] but another second-place finish and the runners-up medal was bagged.

Besides a common theme of shoddy and unconvincing start to the season, the reason behind all of that is also the same for both these sides - the absence of an all-round game. Many-a-fixtures have been built up and then squandered away due to lopsidedness that needs addressing at the absolute earliest. RCB had KKR for the taking, on Sunday, but a sloppy fielding performance let them down. In Hyderabad, Mumbai Indians should've cruised in chase of 119. But they got bundled out for 87 instead. But a game in the IPL is a microcosm of how the tournament works - how one team is placed at the halfway stage may not necessarily stay the same by the end of it, and both RCB and MI need to buy into that theory wholeheartedly.

Why the fixture will come with slightly higher stakes for RCB is due to the fact that this is their sixth home fixture after which they go on the road for their next five before returning on May 17 for their final home game - against Sunrisers Hyderabad. To remain alive and kicking in the tournament by then, the upward swing in results has to begin rightaway. MI have a few home games in hand, but that only brings about a small amount of comfort.

Irrespective of what happens on Tuesday, both teams could still make it to the playoffs. And yet, there will be a lot riding on Tuesday's result and how it could shape the way forward for both the winner and the loser.

When: May 1, 8 PM IST

Where: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

What to expect: A hazy evening in the offing. Virat Kohli said the Chinnaswamy pitch was 'bringing out surprises each time' after his team's fifth loss of the season on Sunday. There was a lot of turn and grip in that game, and much of the same is anticipated for Tuesday.

Team News

Royal Challengers Bangalore:"Hopefully he'll be back next game," said Brendon McCullum in the post-match press conference in the early hours of Monday after another defeat for RCB. The 'he' in contention is AB de Villiers, who missed the fixture through illness. If he makes full recovery, he can replace Colin de Grandhomme instead of Brendon McCullum as RCB can do with the sort of start that the New Zealander is capable of giving them. If RCB end up on the wrong side of the toss once again, they'll need anything upward of 200 to defend successfully. And the inclusion of McCullum can help in that endeavour.

If RCB do plan to beef up their top-order by sacrificing de Grandhomme, then Manan Vohra should make way for Washington Sundar to accommodate a sixth bowling option. The off-spinner has had a lacklustre start to his life at RCB, but if he forms a part of a six-man bowling team, then Kohli can use him just for a couple of overs in the powerplay, where he is reputed to be resourceful and can restrict his biggest misfiring bowler on the day to half his quota too.

Despite his fielding gaffe that had a massive bearing on RCB's fate on Sunday, Murugan Ashwin should keep his place on the basis of the amount of turn he extracted on the surface.

Probable XI: Quinton de Kock, Brendon McCullum, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers/Manan Vohra, Mandeep Singh, Colin de Grandhomme/Washington Sundar, Murugan Ashwin, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj

Mumbai Indians:Mustafizur Rahman bowled an extensive spell alongside Jasprit Bumrah on the eve of the game and could be preferred on the Chinnaswamy wicket. The Bangladesh pacer's variations on a surface that has grip will certainly be tough to deal with. He could come in place of Ben Cutting, who at No. 8 is a wasted batting resource.

Probable XI: Suryakumar Yadav, Evin Lewis, Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, JP Duminy, Krunal Pandya, Ben Cutting/Mustafizur Rahman, Mitchell McClenaghan, Mayank Markande, Jasprit Bumrah

Head to Head of teams

RCB 8 - 14 MI

MI have won the last five encounters between the two sides.

Team Record at Chinnaswamy

RCB 1 - 7 MI

RCB's only win against MI here came in 2013 when they won by two runs.

Interesting face-offs

AB de Villiers vs Krunal Pandya: De Villiers has been dismissed by Krunal in all the four innings he played against him. He has managed to score 33 runs off the 34 balls from Krunal.

Virat Kohli vs Mitchell McClenaghan: McClenaghan has managed to get the better of Kohli on four instances in seven exchanges. He is the only bowler against whom Kohli has a SR less than 100 since 2013 (Min 30 balls).

IPL 2018 trends

- MI have lost 21 wickets in the death overs (16-20) which is the most by any side this IPL. They have the lowest average (13.29) and lose a wicket every 9.57 balls in this phase.

- AB de Villiers has scored 216 runs at a SR of 183.05 in the middle overs (7-15). He has hit 18 sixes in this phase.

- Mandeep Singh has scored second-most runs in the death overs (16-20) this season - 136 runs at a SR of 200.00.

- Umesh Yadav has taken most wickets in the first six overs in IPL 2018 - eight. He has conceded at an economy rate of 6.00 bowling 50 dots in 15 overs.

What they said:

"It's always tough when you're losing a few games and not getting the results you want. But you've just got to be so strong in your group's mind about what you're trying to achieve and keep turning up everyday. Some people may doubt you, but none of that matters. You just got to believe amongst the group that you've the ability within yourself to be able to be standing at the end of the tournament with the trophy in your hand." - Brendon McCullumisn't giving hopes of silverware in 2018 yet.

"To beat the best team in the tournament while coming into the second half of the tournament, it's important we take the momentum forward. We have already forgotten about the loses. It's good that we are coming here with a win and we have a lot to achieve in the tournament later." - Suryakumar Yadav on the confidence that MI carry into the fixture.

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