Match Details
Date: 02 April 2023
Time: 7:30 PM IST
Venue: M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
Live Scores: SportsTiger App
Preview
Five-time champions Mumbai Indians will kick off their campaign at IPL 2023 against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on 2 April. RCB will host the Rohit Sharma-led team at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Having finished the last season as wooden spooners, Mumbai Indians will be desperate to start their campaign with a win. On the other hand, RCB have been consistent in making it to the playoffs for the last three season but have not been able to get the end result. Now, as a new season begins, RCB will hope to start as well as end on a high.
Pitch Report
The pitch at M Chinnaswamy is known to assist spinners but batters don’t find it that hard to score runs here. In fact, Chinnaswamy is one of those grounds where high-scoring games are a norm. Hence, the RCB vs MI game is expected to be a high-scoring encounter.
Team Analysis
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Royal Challengers Bangalore have done a great job in the last few editions as they have managed to qualify for the playoffs for three seasons in a row. But lifting the cup is still a dream for the franchise. Nevertheless, the new season has brought new hopes for the fans as well as the players. The management refrained from tinkering with the squad during the mini-auction which meant the same faces will be seen this year as well.
The new addition to the RCB squad, Michael Bracewell will be a key player for RCB this season. Virat Kohli returning to form is a massive positive for RCB. The batter is set to open the innings alongside captain Faf du Plessis. Rajat Patidar has some fitness concerns but has been seen in practice sessions which means he will take the third position. Mahipal Lomror, Shahbaz Ahmed, Harshal Patel, and Mohammed Siraj are the other players who will play a key role for RCB.
SportsTiger Playing XI of RCB
Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomoror, Dinesh Karthik, Michael Bracewell, Shahbaz Ahmed, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Reece Topley
Mumbai Indians
Mumbai Indians had a not-so-MI-like season last year. The Rohit Sharma-led team finished as wooden spooners with four wins in fourteen games. The five-time champions have made amendments but have been jolted by the ruling out of Japsprit Bumrah. This has severely dented their bowling combination. Nevertheless, MI will rely on their batters to bail them out of trouble most of the time.
Captain Rohit Sharma will be the key to the batting line up. Ishan Kishan will also be expected to do the job this time around. Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, and Cameron Green will be the key to the middle order. Tim David will be expected to finish the innings. Meanwhile, Jofra Archer will have to do the bulk of the bowling. Kumar Kartikeya had a decent outing last season and will be expected to control things in the middle overs. Veteran leggie Piyush Chawla will also have a role to play.
SportsTiger Playing XI of MI
Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Cameron Green, Tim David, Hrithik Shokeen, Kumar Kartikeya, Jofra Archer, Jason Behrendorff, Piyush Chawla
Match Prediction
Conclusion
RCB will be playing at their home and have a strong lineup as compared to Mumbai Indians. Therefore, the Faf du Plessis-led are expected to win the match on Sun day.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the author’s point of view. They neither reflect the opinion of SportsTiger nor advise anyone to make any prediction based on this. SportsTiger does not assume any responsibility and liability for the same.
