IPL bigwigs Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore will clash in the first match of the IPL 2021 at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday.
Two of the most followed teams in the country, Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore will get the 14th edition of the cash-rich league underway on Friday. MI lifted their fifth title last season, after they defeated Delhi Capitals in the finals at Dubai. Led by Rohit Sharma, Mumbai became only the second team to retain their IPL title after Chennai Super Kings had done the same in 2011.
Royal Challengers Bangalore, on the other hand, are one of the three teams remaining in the tournament who are yet to win the title. Under the leadership of Virat Kohli, RCB lost the Eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad last season. They had started the tournament in style, and were on course for a top two finish, before their season took a turn for the worse. The team suffered five straight losses in the business end of the tournament and just managed to sneak into the playoffs.
The two sides have faced each other on 27 occasions, with MI having the clear advantage as they lead the head-to-head meetings by 17-10.
Mumbai Indians will be the more confident of the two sides, going into Friday’s crunch fixture. They have a settled side, and have retained the core of their team. As such, the management will likely stick to the same combination that has worked wonders over the past few seasons.
RCB, meanwhile, will be sweating over their team selection as there are a few new names that feature in the squad. Kyle Jamieson, Dan Christian and Glenn Maxwell were among the top overseas picks at the auction, and are expected to feature in the playing eleven.
Key Players
In a major development in the RCB camp, Virat Kohli announced his decision to open the innings this season. The Indian batsman is one of the most successful IPL batsman, scoring 5,878 runs at an average of 38.16. His highest tally of runs came in the 2016 season, when the skipper scored 973 runs at an average of 81.08, including four centuries. The Indian skipper also won the Orange Cap that season. Kohli, however, has not replicated his form in IPL ever since, and has crossed the 500-run mark just once in the past four seasons.
Yuzvendra Chahal was RCB’s standout bowler last season, picking up 21 wickets at an average of 19.28. He has played 99 matches so far, picking up 121 wickets at a decent economy of 7.67. Chahal will once again lead the spin bowling department for Virat Kohli’s men and will hope to have another good season.
Jasprit Bumrah was the second highest wicket-taker last season, picking up 27 wickets in 15 outings. The yorker specialist has played 92 matches so far, picking up 109 wickets. 26-year-old Bumrah made his IPL debut in 2013 against Royal Challengers Bangalore, and got instant recognition. He picked up three wickets in his four-over spell, including the key wicket of Virat Kohli. Bumrah has now emerged as Rohit Sharma’s go-to bowler and had formed a lethal partnership with Trent Boult last season.
Rohit Sharma will open the innings for Mumbai Indians this season. The MI skipper is expected to have a new opening partner for the first game in the absence of Quinton de Kock. Chris Lynn will be given an opportunity to bat at the top of the order alongside his captain. The ‘Hitman’ has failed to deliver with the bat in the past few seasons, scoring over 400 runs just once in the past four years. Moreover, he has been extremely inconsistent with the bat, throwing away his wicket cheaply during the start of the innings. However, one cannot question Sharma’s ability with the bat as he can take games from the opposition if he gets his eye in.
Prediction
Mumbai Indians are the favorites to win the opening encounter against RCB. However, the five time champions have failed to win their first match of the tournament since 2012. They are usually known to make a surge towards the end of the tournament.
Both sides will miss one of their key openers. Devdutt Padikkal tested positive for Covid-19 before the IPL. Although he returned a negative test two days prior to the season opener, he won’t be part of the first game. Mumbai Indians, meanwhile, will be without the services of Quinton de Kock, who arrived at the team camp just a couple of days ago, after completing international duty for South Africa.
Royal Challengers Bangalore have to figure out their best eleven, and there are several questions yet to be answered. The team will take a few matches before they can find a solution. Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, have depth and quality in all three departments and except a forced change in the form of de Kock, they are expected to stick with the same combination.
