IPL 2020
Kohli has not fired RCB so far. © BCCI
Royal Challengers Bangalore could easily have taken two L’s to start IPL 2020 and a harsher light may already have shone on its shortcomings. Yet despite being drunk with 97 runs, they face the champions in this early season clash on a kind of balanced keel.
However, the similarities with the Mumbai Indians begin and end in the Points column in the rankings. For Virat Kohli and the hierarchy they have multiple holes to plug this new RCB boat, caused in part by a lateral strain on Chris Morris. While Rohit Sharma seems to have a trustworthy and personal plan to work with, RCB is struggling for a semblance of balance despite playing the same set of 11 in his first two games.
It was no coincidence that the team’s field session Saturday night started without AB de Villiers. The South African was on the other hand participating in maintenance exercises with Mike Hesson. There are obvious benefits to not overloading one of the team’s best hitters with a chronic back condition, but the flip side has seen the team use Joshua Philippe as something floating. Played out of his preferred starting spot, the talented 23-year-old has played five balls in two innings of a career.
Moeen Ali is better suited for scrolling through the middle order, offering great experience, a left-handed matchmaking advantage against the leg spinner (Rahul Chahar) and the left arm spinner (Krunal Pandya) of the Mumbai Indians and much- He needed bowling insurance. RCB particularly needs its off-roaders to contribute the ball given the off-key start from Umesh Yadav and Dale Steyn and their curious reliance on Washington Sundar.
Of course, trying and failing doesn’t equate to a failure forever after two games. But can RCB, already infamous for not giving its players a long enough rope, risk not taking action now and seeing this marathon of the league phase turn into a sprint to the finish line once again?
When: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Mumbai Indians, Match 10, IPL 2020, September 28, 7:30 PM IST, 6:00 PM Local
Where: Dubai International Stadium
What to expect: Four games have been played in Dubai, two of them by RCB. The teams that won the toss chose to play on the field and were unable to chase the target each time. In the most recent game, CSK was undone by a lack of dew and a wicket that progressively slowed down. With humidity in the 40s, expect a possible reversal to the T20’s first chase doctrine.
Team news:
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Steyn’s figures of 0 out of 57 against KXIP came down to both poor sacks and being predictable with his opponents in the kill. With Morris still working his back to get in shape, RCB can turn to Isuru Udana for a left arm angle to the cutters in the face of death and the lower order biff. Umesh Yadav could also get to Mohammad Siraj after two forgettable outings.
At IPL 2017, Washington Sundar had the fifth best Powerplay economy rate for those who had thrown at least 15 overs with field restrictions on. This performance for Pune that even got him a debut in India. He pitched just one in the first six for RCB last year and just three overall after two games. Sundar seems to have become an afterthought even on a side struggling for PowerPlay’s effectiveness.
Probable XI: Devdutt Padikkal, Aaron Finch, Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villiers, Shivam Dube, Joshua Philippe / Moeen Ali, Isuru Udana / Dale Steyn, Washington Sundar, Navdeep Saini, Umesh Yadav / Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal
Mumbai Indians
Little reason for the Mumbai Indians to change their combination despite the fact that they are bowler shorts and Hardik still isn’t playing. Pollard contributed three overs last game.
MI will particularly enjoy the opportunity to have Trent Boult hit Kohli early in innings with the RCB captain still looking to find his range and falling to the left arm closer twice already.
Probable XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Quinton de Kock (week), Suryakumar Yadav, Saurabh Tiwary, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Trent Boult, James Pattinson, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah
Did you know
– MI has a 16-9 H2H advantage over RCB. They have also won 7 of the last 8 meetings between the sides since IPL 2016.
– IM’s pacemakers have taken four PowerPlay wickets in their two games, in contrast to RCB’s, who have yet to take one wicket in the first six overs of this season.
– Chahal has sent Pollard 4 times out of 38 balls, a better record than Krunal’s over de Villiers – 4 times out of 43.
– Bumrah has taken the most wickets against RCB – 16. This includes a 3/32 debut performance at IPL 2013.
What they say:
“He [Hardik Pandya] He’s the kind of person who really shifts the balance on the side when he’s bowling and gets it. At the same time, you must also take care of your body. That is a conversation that we are having, in consultation with the physical therapists. We hope you go bowling. ” Zaheer Khan, Direct from Cricket Operations, on why young Pandya hasn’t bowled yet.
© Cricbuzz
