Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore, two sides who have not enjoyed the best starts to this season, need to get their acts together in their second match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. There are injury concerns in the Mumbai Indians camp which they need to address, while RCB need to be smart in picking a side which takes the field.
If Jasprit Bumrah is fit and raring to go, his battle with his Indian captain will be where the match is potentially decided. The promos have already talked about this contest and now we take a look at the numbers. Back when he was making his IPL debut, Bumrah dismissed Kohli in his very first over. However, he has not be able to get the better of Kohli after that particular match.
Kohli vs Bumrah - Who wins the contest?
Kohli has faced 66 balls from Jasprit Bumrah in the IPL and has peeled off 99 runs at a strike rate of 150 and this is where the match could be decided in Bangalore this evening.
Another interesting matchup would between AB de Villiers and Krunal Pandya. His record against Mumbai Indians is impressive - he has scored 511 runs at an average of 39 and with a strike rate of 138.48.
However, he needs to be wary of Krunal Pandya, who has got his number in the last four innings. Krunal enjoys playing against RCB and could be the possible game breaker in the contest. In the six matches before this, Krunal has picked up nine wickets at an average of 16.56 and with an economy rate of 6.21.
The record of Hardik Pandya, however, is not very good against RCB or at the M Chinnaswamy stadium. He has struggled with the ball in hand against the Royal Challengers Bangalore and is
the most expensive among the bowlers with 250+ balls bowled for Mumbai in IPL. His economy of 10.13 is the second worst in IPL.
Unlike Krunal, he has managed to pick up only 4 wickets in the 7 matches he has played against RCB and also has the highest economy rate at the venue.
"The execution is always key no matter what plans you have. We have the best death bowler. Bumrah is the best in the world. With a guy like that, it's okay to be off the mark in one game knowing he's going to come back strong. He's not one of the best for no reason. Even the others, Mitch and Hardik, I know they are going to bounce back," Mumbai wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock said before the match.
