Mumbai Indians (MI) will face off against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on May 9 in the 54th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. Both teams, with five wins each in ten matches, come into the game with similar records. Royal Challengers Bangalore have relied on their top-order batters Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli, while their bowling unit has also been in good form.
The Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, are placing their hopes on their batting unit. But the biggest drawback is captain Rohit Sharma struggling with his form. Although both teams are well-matched on paper, the Royal Challengers are considered slight favourites as a result of their well-balanced side. This game is crucial for the playoff race, and a thrilling encounter is expected.
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Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore preview
The 54th match of the IPL 2023 will be played at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on May 9, with Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore locking horns. Both teams have won five of their ten games and are ranked fifth and sixth in the points table.
In the previous game against Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians batted first and scored 139 runs, losing eight wickets in 20 overs. Nehal Wadhera’s half-century was the team’s standout performance, but it wasn’t enough as Chennai Super Kings chased down the target with ease, resulting in Mumbai Indians’ first loss after two consecutive wins.
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In their previous game, RCB batted first and scored 181 runs for four wickets in 20 overs against Delhi Capitals, thanks to half-centuries from Virat Kohli and Mahipal Lomror. However, their bowlers struggled, and the Capitals chased down the target with seven wickets in hand. Although RCB has been the most successful powerplay team this season with 23 wickets, they could only take one wicket against DC.
Mumbai Indians have won 17 of the 31 IPL matches they have played against RCB. However, RCB has been the stronger team in recent years, winning four consecutive matches against MI since their last victory in 2020.
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Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore match details
Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, Match 54, IPL 2023
Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Date & Time: Tuesday, May 9, 7:30 pm IST
MI vs RCB pitch report
In the last three years, Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium has hosted 46 T20 matches, with an average first-innings score of over 170 runs. However, teams batting first have won only 33% of the games played here, meaning the winning team will choose to bowl first if they win the toss on Tuesday.
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Pacers have been more successful on this pitch, claiming 70% of the wickets, while spinners have only accounted for 30%. This season, team that have chased have emerged victorious in four out of five games played at this venue.
MI vs RCB prediction
Despite playing at home, Mumbai Indians are expected to face stiff resistance from a fairly strong Royal Challegners Bangalore team and are expected to suffer a loss. The home team, with their deplorable form, will need to pull off a spectacular performance if they are to come out on top.
MI vs RCB probable playing XIs
Mumbai Indians (MI):
Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Cameron Green, Suryakumar Yadav, Nehal Wadhera, Tristan Stubbs, Tim David, Arshad Khan, Jofra Archer, Piyush Chawla, Akash Madhwal
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Royals Challengers Bangalore (RCB):
Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (c), Mahipal Lomror, Glenn Maxwell, Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Wanindu Hasaranga, Karn Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Josh Hazlewood
