'RCB will keep their fingers crossed to not have MI in the final' - Ravichandran Ashwin shares unique assessment ahead of GT vs MI clash

Ravichandran Ashwin opined that Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), who made it to the Indian Premier League (IPL) final for the first time since 2016, would not want to face Mumbai Indians (MI) title decider.

MI are one of the fiercest teams in the IPL playoffs. They have reached the playoffs on 11 occasions and gone on to lift the title five times. The Hardik Pandya-led side finished fourth on the points table in IPL 2025 and will face Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Eliminator on Friday, May 30, in Mullanpur. Meanwhile, RCB reached the final after defeating Punjab Kings by eight wickets in Qualifier 1.

“If RCB have to win the IPL, then Gujarat Titans should win against Mumbai Indians. MI are one team that you cannot allow to enter the final, you have to stop them at any cost,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’

While Ashwin backed Rajat Patidar-led RCB to go the distance, he feels that MI is the only team that can stop them. The former India cricketer said that if he were a part of the RCB setup, he would want to square off againsts Gujarat in the summit clash.

“RCB will keep their fingers crossed to not have Mumbai Indians in the final. Mumbai Indians is the only team that has some chance against RCB. It looks like RCB are going the distance, but it is cricket; anything can happen. If I were RCB, my best finalist team would be Gujarat Titans. If I was RCB, I would want to face Gujarat Titans,” he added.

RCB and MI have faced each other in 34 matches in the IPL. While RCB have won 15 of these clashes, MI have emerged victorious on 19 occasions. This season, the two popular franchises locked horns once at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The visitors won a high-scoring thriller by 12 runs, defending a 222-run target.