A first win finally achieved in IPL 2014, the Mumbai Indians will look to make it two consecutive wins at their fortress Wankhede, but it will be far from easy as lying in wait are AB De Villiers and the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Where to Watch Live:
Watch the Highlights HERE
Get the report HERE
The IPL 7 is scheduled for an 8 pm IST (6.30 pm local time, 3.30 pm GMT, 10.30 am ET) start with live coverage on Sony Six and Sony Max in India. Watch the match via live streaming in India HERE or HERE. Viewers in the US can live stream the action HERE, while audience in Canada can do the same HERE. Rest of the world audience can catch the IPL action HERE, HERE or through the GoCricket apps.
Viewers in the UK can catch the action live on ITV, while Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will have TV coverage via Geo Super, Maasaranga TV and Carlton Sports Network respectively. Viewers in the Middle East and North Africa can catch the action on OSN and with the link HERE, while New Zealand viewers can do the same through Sky NZ HERE.
It took six games for the defending champions to put a "W" on the board in IPL 2014, with the happy confines of the Wankhede Stadium acting as a soothing balm to their gaping wounds before a final assault from Kieron Pollard helped MI get over the line against the previously unbeaten Kings XI Punjab.
MI, who will be without the injured Zaheer Khan, are as formidable a team at home as RCB are at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, and with the Royal Challengers' away form iffy at best, the Mumbai Indians will look to take full advantage.
"One of the good things about the victory the other day is that we actually beat the team that beat everybody," MI coach John Wright said. "It was a much-needed victory. We struggled but it was great to get back here.
"I think everyone enjoyed getting back here and we haven't lost a match here for a long time, so we want to continue that here tomorrow. We are a very happy changing room and people are more relaxed and more players are looking in form and coming into form, so that is good for us."
There is no more formidable batting lineup on paper than RCB's and Wright admitted to being wary of the power that exists in the opponent's camp.
"We spend a lot of time looking at the various statistics and replays of players as to where they hit the ball," Wright added. "There is a lot of information available on those areas. If you look at the RCB batting line-up, it is very formidable.
"There are two aspects to it -- the accuracy of the analysis and the execution of the same. It is all about putting the information into practice in the middle."
The Royal Challengers, who comfortably beat the Mumbai Indians in their game in Dubai earlier this season, only picked up a victory on Sunday against the Sunrisers Hyderabad thanks to a quite unbelievable innings from De Villiers, with the South African making even the great Dale Steyn look normal.
"AB is a freak, man," RCB bowler Harshal Patel told IPL's official website. "What he can do on the cricket field, I don't think anyone else can do that. I have no words to describe his brilliance. I think he is the most difficult batsman to bowl to.
"To good batsmen, if you bowl decent yorkers or good deliveries, you can get away. But to AB, if you bowl a perfect yorker, you can still go for six. You are never sure where to bowl to him. You can only bowl and hope for the best."
Had it not been for that assault, though, RCB would have succumbed to their fourth straight defeat, instead of picking up their third win in six matches. The win only papered over the cracks that still exist in their batting lineup, with Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh still not quite at their usual best yet.
Against MI at the Wankhede, RCB will need a complete performance to pull off a victory, and they cannot rely on another piece of genius from De Villiers; but the Mumbai Indians will certainly be wary of the ridiculously talented South African.
