IPL 2018: Match 14, MI vs RCB - Mumbai Indians Predicted XI

Mumbai Indians (MI) is the only team which is yet to win a game in the ongoing season of Indian Premier League (IPL) so far. They’ve played three matches and have lost each one of them in the last over while defending the total. They face Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Wankhede Stadium now who are also struggling and have won only one game after 3 matches. While MI would be thinking to open their account in this game, the record of RCB at the venue is great and it won’t be easy for them once again.

The bowling attack is the biggest worry which has so far blown hot and cold in the IPL. Mostly the death bowling has been lacklustre and though they try hard in the last few overs, it only makes the match interesting but the results don’t go their way. Even the batsmen are struggling at the backend of the innings as they failed to cross the 200-run mark against Delhi despite posting more than 100 runs in the first 10 overs. It will be interesting to see the way they shuffle their team combination for the game against RCB.

Here we bring to you the Mumbai Indians predicted XI for the game against RCB:

Openers (Evin Lewis, Suryakumar Yadav)

The new opening pair of Evin Lewis and Suryakumar Yadav worked wonders for Mumbai in the last game and they will surely open the innings once again. Evin Lewis showed what he is capable of with some brutal hitting and expect even more of that in the upcoming matches. He has gained the confidence now and will hope to remain consistent in providing his team with some blistering start.

Rohit Sharma played a masterstroke by sending Suryakumar Yadav to open the innings two days ago. He batted beautifully playing the textbook strokes and took full toll of the powerplay. He will be excited to do the same job again for his team and it won’t be surprising if he goes one step ahead and smashes a big one. The bowling attack of RCB is under the pump and expect this duo to put them under more serious pressure.

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Middle Order (Ishan Kishan (wk), Rohit Sharma (c), Kieron Pollard

Ishan Kishan has done no harm to his chances ever since the tournament has started. Even in the last game, he was at his best smashing the ball all around the park. Though he should aim to play a defining inning now and avoid silly shots at the wrong time. His wicket in the last game sucked all the momentum out of their innings against DD and eventually turned out to be crucial in the context of the match. Expect a more matured outing for the youngster.

Rohit Sharma, the skipper, is yet to arrive to the party and he is the expert to unleash a beast in him after everyone writes him off. Surely, he will be eager to get himself going but some way or the other Rohit is not able to middle the ball. The bowlers are bowling with a plan to him executing them perfectly so far. It will be interesting if the Hitman employs any different technique to churn out some runs this time around.

Kieron Pollard is another player struggling to take off. He set himself in the second game but failed to whack the ball in the end overs. In the last match, he was castled around the legs by Daniel Christian and the pressure will be on him now to perform. Though his place is not under threat as he brings a lot to the table with his acrobatic fielding and the catch he took Rishabh Pant was brilliant. But Mumbai needs more contribution from him with the bat now and the Caribbean cricketer knows the same.

All-Rounders (Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya)

Pandya brothers stabilise this team amazingly. One of them, Hardik Pandya, is the seam bowling all-rounder and the other, Krunal Pandya, is the spin-bowling all-rounder. Mind you, both of them are no mugs with the bat as the team management at times has sent them at the top of the order. Krunal looked at his best against Daredevils with the ball in the hand and he should’ve been brought early into the attack. He should be eyeing the wicket of AB de Villiers once again now to make it five out of five against the champion cricketer.

Hardik is yet to set the stage on fire and is struggling immensely with his batting for sure. The injury in his first game hasn’t helped a great deal either and he might be nearing his best soon in the league. In the field, though he was at his best taking a superb catch of Glenn Maxwell but leaked runs with the ball and also failed while batting. Mumbai’s victory will largely depend on the performance of the siblings against RCB.

Bowlers (Mayank Markande, Mustafizur Rahman, Jasprit Bumrah, Adam Milne)

Mayank Markande got a harsh reality check as he was taken apart in the last match and now he will have to come with a bag of tricks. His googly was picked easily by the opposition batsmen and he will have to keep himself calm in front of the likes of De Villiers and Kohli. It will be a test of his temperament as well. Mustafizur Rahman has been the go-to bowler for Rohit so far and he hasn’t disappointed. But he needs to be consistent with his lines and if he gets that right, MI could look an entirely different unit.

Jasprit Bumrah too has not been up to the mark so far and is slowly getting back his rhythm. It will be crucial for the defending champions going ahead in the tournament that he does well and get back his form. Adam Milne, hit the deck bowler, is expected to replace Akila Dananajaya who leaked runs in the last match and was picked easily by the batsmen. Milne has been with the team for long now and must have got acclimatised to the conditions. A lot is expected of him and the Kiwi bowler should be upbeat about his prospects in this game.

Here’s Mumbai Indians Predicted XI against RCB

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