IPL 2021, Match 39: RCB vs MI, Stats Preview: Player records and approaching milestones

It will be Virat Kohli vs Rohit Sharma in the super Sunday clash of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. The two talismanic batters will have a point to prove as they marshal their respective troops at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on September 26. Both teams were pretty impressive in the first installment of the competition but have kick-started the UAE leg on a dismal note, losing their first two games.

Interestingly, both Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore went down against Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders after the season resumption. Nevertheless, one of these teams will surely go back to winning ways in the upcoming contest. As of now, RCB are still holding third place with five wins in nine games. Hence, they still can qualify for the playoffs pretty comfortably.

On the contrary, the five-time champions have made things slightly difficult for themselves. They are currently placed at the fifth spot, having won four of their nine games. This means they must get their mojo back before it’s too late. Meanwhile, MI and RCB met in the season opener of the competition.

The contest went right down the wire but the Bangalore-based side eventually emerged victorious by two wickets. While Virat Kohli’s men would want to replicate their heroics, MI will fight for redemption.

Meanwhile, let’s look at important stats and numbers ahead of the 39th game of the Indian Premier League 2021:

Head to Head record: In the IPL history so far, both teams have played 28 games against each other. In these games, Mumbai Indians hold the edge as they won 17 games while RCB emerged winners 11 times.

13 – Virat Kohli needs 13 runs to become the first Indian and fifth overall player to complete 10,000 T20 runs.

4 – AB de Villiers is four hits away from becoming the second player after Chris Gayle to smash 250 sixes in the IPL.

3 – Rohit Sharma is three hits away from reaching 400 sixes in T20 cricket. He’ll become the first Indian and seventh overall player to get the landmark.

26 – Quinton de Kock is 26 runs away from the 7000-run mark in T20 cricket.

4 – Krunal Pandya has dismissed De Villiers four times in the IPL. The latter has a strike rate of just 108.5 against the left-arm spinners.

1 – Krunal Pandya needs one more wicket to reach 50 wickets for Mumbai Indians in the IPL. He will become the second Mumbai Indians player to score 1000+ runs and take 50+ wickets for Mumbai Indians, after Kieron Pollard.

5 – Hardik Pandya is five hits away from completing 100 sixes in the IPL.

5 – Mohammed Siraj needs five wickets to complete 50 wickets in the IPL. He currently has 45 wickets in 44 appearances.