MI vs RCB IPL Fantasy Prediction: News, Stats, Best Picks, Playing XIs
The most anticipated T20 tournament in the world begins on April 9, 2021. The first game for this edition’s Indian Premier League (IPL) will be played between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB.)
While MI has been the most successful team in the competition’s history having five IPL titles in the bag. On the other hand, fans once again have high hopes from the Virat Kohli led RCB.
It will be exciting to see which side will begin their season with a bang and which side will go home with dropped faces.
The game will be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. Teams have always preferred to chase on this pitch as it is not a high scoring ground. Moreover, pacers always have an early impact at Chepauk but as the game progresses spinners are considered more lethal.
Potential playing XI and injury updates for Mumbai Indians
With the season just starting as of now there are no players injured for MI. However, their star opener Quinton de Kock will miss the first game of the season. Quinton just arrived in India after playing the first two ODIs for South Africa. As a result, he is quarantined for the next few days.
That being said, the expected playing XI for the defending champions is: Chris Lynn, Rohit Sharma (C), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan (WK), Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult and Nathan Coulter-Nile.
Potential playing XI and injury updates for Royal Challengers Bangalore
As for RCB each player is healthy for them so their starting XI could be: Virat Kohli (C), Mohammed Azharuddeen/ Devdutt Padikkal, AB de Villiers (WK), Glenn Maxwell, Rajat Patidar, Daniel Christian, Washington Sundar, Kyle Jamieson, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini and Yuzvendra Chahal.
Combo 1 – Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya
Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma is one of the best openers all around the globe. The 33-year-old has enjoyed a lot of success as the captain of arguably the best franchise in IPL. Although Rohit was not at the top of his form in the last IPL, he still managed to score 332 runs with an average of 27.66. In absence of Quinton de Kock in the opening game, the team will expect their skipper to lead them from the front.
In the new era of cricket an all rounder plays arguably the most important role for any team. Hardik Pandya is an epitome of what a modern era all arounder should look like. He bats with an unmatched aggressiveness and can also pick a few wickets to ease pressure off of strike bowlers. Last season Pandya scored 281 runs in the campaign with a humongous strike rate of 178.98.
Combo 2 – Virat Kohli and Surya Kumar Yadav
Indian skipper Virat Kohli is regarded as one of the best batsmen of this generation. During his career, he has won numerous awards and lifted many trophies. However, when it comes to IPL Kohli hasn’t enjoyed the same level of success. In IPL 2020, Virat managed to score 466 runs with an average of 42.36 and will be looking forward to finally winning the first IPL trophy of his career.
Second player in the combo is Mumbai’s Suryakumar Yadav. So far the year 2021 has been great for SKY. He caught a lot of attention for his recent Indian team debut and now it’s time to carry that form in IPL. His explosive batting style makes him an integral part of Mumbai Indians. And he is expected to play a crucial role in MI’s attempt to win three consecutive titles this season.
This combo is amazing with Kohli and SKY featuring in it. In fact, for the first game of IPL 2021 season, investing in this combo on the Khiladi Adda app should be a great choice.
Combo 3 – AB de Villiers and Glenn Maxwell
Do you love batsmen who can guide the ball out of the park with ease? Well, then you will love the third combo for the MI vs RCB clash. First, it features Mr. 360 AB de Villiers, who is known for his ability to hit various unorthodox shots. Moreover, de Villiers’ ability to shift gears throughout the match is something that opponents fear the most. Last season, ABD managed to score five 50+ scorers and produced a total of 454 runs with a phenomenal strike rate of 158.74.
RCB’s batting has always been their strongest weapon in any IPL season. For this year’s campaign the Reds added Glenn Maxwell to their squad who has made his name by hitting big shots over the course of his career. However, due to Maxwell struggling to find his from last season, many eyebrows were raised when RCB acquired the Australian. He finished last year’s campaign with just 108 runs and batted with a miniscule average of 15.42.
Investing in this combo could be a double edged sword. On one side you have ABD, who is extremely consistent while on the other you have Maxwell, who is looking to find his touch in the T20 format.
Combo 4 – Devdutt Padikkal and Chris Lynn
After having a phenomenal debut season, Bangalore retained Devdutt Padikkal to open the innings for the team. The left hand batsman impressed several fans last year with his sensational batting style. Thanks to his insane form he managed to rack up 473 runs with a strike rate of 124.80.
With Quinton de Kock still serving his 7-day quarantine after arriving on Tuesday, Mumbai Indians are expected to give Chris Lynn a chance to open the innings for them. Lynn was sensational the last time he played in IPL and even smashed an IPL career high 22 sixes in just 13 innings. He also produced 405 runs with a solid strike rate of 139.65.
