IPL 2021: Predicting Top 3 Fantasy Players in MI vs RCB game

Mumbai Indians are set to face Royal Challengers Bangalore in the opening match of the IPL 2021. The match will witness some of the most awaited player battles. Trent Boult will be up against Virat Kohli while Jasprit Bumrah will be seen bowling to AB de Villiers. Yuzvendra Chahal will try to fox Rohit Sharma while Hardik Pandya could be seen smashing Mohammed Siraj.

With all these battles upcoming, there are several people who would be keeping an eye on the fantasy points. The IPL also brings an excellent opportunity to fans to engage in the sport as much as possible. Here are the top 3 fantasy players whom you should pick in the match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore:

1. Hardik Pandya

The Indian all-rounder was at his destructive best during the 2020 season. He scored 281 runs at an average of 35.12 and a strike rate of 179. He carried his good batting form into the limited-overs series against Australia and England, which happened since the previous season of the IPL. However, the biggest advantage which Pandya will provide Mumbai Indians this season is with his bowling.

After playing the 2020 edition purely as a batsman, Pandya is expected to bowl this year, having been seen bowling in the recent international series. His aggressive batting and ability to chip in with wickets make him a great choice for fantasy teams. 

2. Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav has had a couple of great months with the bat. After an impressive IPL season in 2020, he might have hoped for a call-up from the national team. The fact that didn’t happen immediately after the IPL might have triggered Suryakumar. Since then, he had a terrific domestic season with Mumbai, which eventually propelled him to enter the Indian T20I side for the series at home against England.

In his only two T20I innings so far, he has scored an aggregate of 89 runs with a strike rate of 185.42. Interestingly, the last time Mumbai played Bangalore, it was Surya who ensured there wasn’t any hiccup in a tricky run chase. 

3. Virat Kohli

The last time when Virat Kohli decided to open the innings for RCB ahead of a season, he ended up scoring his first four T20 centuries. So, it was quite obvious that fans were going to be excited when he announced that he was going to open the batting for RCB in the 2021 season. Considering his recent T20 form, Mumbai should start planning early to counter the Kohli threat.

The RCB captain scored 231 runs with an average of 115.50 and a strike rate of 147.13 during the T20I series at home against England. There is no doubt that adding a player of Kohli’s class ensures you with some guaranteed points in fantasy competitions.