IPL 2024, Match 25: Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru Match Preview

After finally getting their first win in the IPL 2024, Mumbai Indians (MI) will look to double their points tally when they take on a struggling Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) side on Thursday, April 11, at the renowned Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai.

Newly appointed Hardik Pandya had a tough start to his captaincy career at the Mumbai Indians. Firstly, he wasn't welcomed with open arms by the MI die-hard fans as he replaced the legendary Rohit Sharma at the helm. Secondly, the results in the first three games didn't go in Mumbai's favour as they lost to Gujarat Titans, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Rajasthan Royals. However, the rub of the green finally went in the way of the five-time champions as they defeated Delhi Capitals by 29 runs in their last game to register their first win in IPL 2024.

Romario Shepherd emerged as the hero for Mumbai in this clash. He scored a scintillating 39 not out off 10 balls and took the vital wicket of David Warner to help Mumbai restrict the Capitals to 205/8 in their pursuit of a 235-run target. The likes of Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, and Tim David played flamboyant knocks, while Gerald Coetzee bagged a four-for. This win must have done a world of good, not just for the popular franchise but also for their new leader.

Jasprit Bumrah has unsurprisingly been the standout bowler for Mumbai. The 30-year-old has bagged five wickets in four games and conceded runs at an economy rate of just 6.12. He has received good support from Coetzee. On the batting front, Tilak Varma is the leading run-getter with 12 runs from four innings at an average of 31.75 and a strike rate of 145.98. Rohit has given the team some flying starts and MI fans will hope for more of the same from their former captain.

Also Check: Most Runs in IPL 2024

Royal Challengers Bengaluru lost to defending champions Chennai Super Kings in the season opener. However, they came back strongly and defeated Punjab Kings at home. Since that win, Faf du Plessis and Co. have suffered a hat-trick of losses. They went down to Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Super Giants at home before losing to Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur in their last game.

Virat Kohli scored a century off 67 balls in the game against Rajasthan and it turned out to be the joint-slowest in the history of the tournament. Bengaluru finished on 183/3 in their 20 overs. Rajasthan made light work of the run-chase as they romped home with six wickets and five balls to spare. Jos Buttler returned to form with a sparkling 100 not out off 58 balls. Reece Topley bowled well as he finished with figures of 2/27 in his four overs. However, the other RCB bowlers couldn't back him up.

Also Check: Most Wickets in IPL 2024

Kohli is on top of the list of highest run-getters in IPL 2024. He has amassed 316 runs from five matches at an average of 105.33 and a strike rate of 146.30. Some of his knocks have been criticised as a section of fans felt that he couldn't change gears appropriately after getting set. Apart from Kohli, the famed RCB batting has underperformed massively.

Glenn Maxwell has just scored 32 runs from five matches. He has hit just four boundaries so far in the tournament. Meanwhile, Faf is averaging just 21.80 and has looked scratchy during his knocks. Cameron Green has also failed to live up to his potential.

The Australian all-rounder has scored just 68 runs and has taken only a couple of wickets from five matches. Besides, the performance of the bowlers has also been substandard. Mohammed Siraj has looked a pale shadow of his former self and in the last game, he lost the new ball to Topley and came in as the first-change bowler. The RCB fans will want Siraj to get going as soon as possible as time is slowly running out for them with every defeat.

Also Check: IPL 2024 Points Table

Wankhede Stadium Pitch Report and Conditions

The Wankhede Stadium provides some phenomenal batting tracks like the one that greeted Mumbai and Delhi in the last game. A whopping 439 runs were scored in the match. 51 out of the 111 games played at this venue have been won by teams batting first. Therefore, chasing teams have won 60 matches and it won't be a surprise to see the captain who wins the toss opting to field first. The average first-innings total is 170.

Click Here: MI vs RCB Live Score, Match 25

Probable Playing XI

Mumbai Indians (MI)

After finally finding the taste of victory, Mumbai Indians wouldn't want to tinker with their playing XI. Skipper Hardik said after the last match that unless necessary tactical changes are required, they would be sticking to the same 12 players who gave them their elusive first win.

Predicted XI: Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Tim David, Mohammad Nabi, Romario Shepherd, Piyush Chawla, Gerald Coetzee, Jasprit Bumrah 

Impact Player: Akash Madhwal

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)

RCB have a lot of head-scratching to do after their recent run of disappointing results. Mahipal Lomror has looked in great touch but it was surprising to see him getting dropped in the last game. It is likely that he will come back into the squad in place of the out-of-form Rajat Patidar. Karn Sharma could also return to the side in place of Mayank Dagar, who has managed to pick up just one wicket from five matches.

Predicted XI: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (c), Will Jacks, Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik(wk) , Saurav Chauhan, Reece Topley, Karn Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Yash Dayal 

Impact Player: Vijayakumar Vyshak 

Also Check: MI vs RCB Dream11 Prediction

MI vs RCB Head-to-Head Record