Highlights, MI vs RCB, IPL 2021, Match 1, Full Cricket Score: Bangalore pip Mumbai in last-ball thriller

RCB winning on the last ball while chasing in IPL:

v PWI, Bangalore, 2012

v MI, Chennai, 2021*

The jinx goes on!

Mumbai Indians have now lost each of their last nine season-openers in IPL.

Royal Challengers Bangalore win by two wickets!

One run needed from one ball and Harshal Patel does well to play the yorker from Jansen to short fine-leg and take the single. Mumbai Indians lose yet another opening game. ABD’s knock proved to the difference!

Oh ABD is walking back to the pavilion! 

Good throw by Krunal Pandya from the deep and ABD, despite the dive, is short. RCB need two from two balls. AB de Villiers run out (Krunal Pandya/Ishan Kishan) 48(27)

After 19 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 153/7 ( AB de Villiers (W) 46 , Harshal Patel 0)

Jamieson goes for a run when there was no chance he could up end being safe. He’s back in the dugout but Mumbai would’ve been more happier with the wicket of AB de Villers. He takes a single off the last ball and keeps strike. RCB need seven runs in the final over. Don’t go anywhere!

RUN OUT!

Bumrah stops the ball with his leg and Jamieson is well short of his crease. Jamieson run out (Bumrah) 4(4).

After 18 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 141/6 ( AB de Villiers (W) 34 , Kyle Jamieson 4)

Much needed runs for RCB in this over. Boult misses his length on more than one occasion and he gets punished. 15 taken from this one and RCB need another 19 from 12 balls. Can ABD do it? Bumrah is up next.

After 17 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 126/6 ( AB de Villiers (W) 20 , Kyle Jamieson 3)

Bumrah to ABD and he start off with his trademark yorker. Just one for the batsman. Another block hole delivery, Christian fails to take a run. He then goes for the cut but hits it to the fielder. Good catch from Rahul Chahar. Kyle Jamieson is the new batsman. He gets an inside edge and the ball races to the boundary behind keeper but good tag-team effort from Jansen and Boult to save the boundary. Three runs for the batsman. 34 needed in 18 balls.

After 16 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 121/5 ( AB de Villiers (W) 18 , Dan Christian 1)

It’s never over when AB de Villiers is out in the middle. RCB badly needed a big over and he helps them out by taking on Rahul Chahar. This one has cost for 15 runs for Mumbai. Dan Christian, facing his first ball, goes for a sweep, gets a leading edge but he’s safe. Chahar finishes his quota, conceding 43 runs in his four over. 39 runs needed off 24 balls.

Who’ll win this battle this evening?

AB de Villiers v Jasprit Bumrah in T20:

99 runs
70 balls
2 wickets

This match may well come down to a head-to-head between the two greats of the game. #MIvRCB #IPL2021

— The CricViz Analyst (@cricvizanalyst) April 9, 2021

Mr 360 for a reason!

The guy has not played ANY cricket and he can do that right away?

Only @ABdeVilliers17! Only, AB!

— Nikhil 🏏 (@CricCrazyNIKS) April 9, 2021

After 15 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 106/5 ( AB de Villiers (W) 4 , )

Slower ball from Jansen, Maxwell looks to clear the short fine-leg fielder but fails. Chris Lynn does his job to take a clean catch. Will this end up being another collapse for RCB? Shahbaz Ahmed has come out instead of Dan Christian. Good stuff from the South African, not giving room for ABD to free his arms. And he ends the over with another wicket. Really poor shot from Shahbaz.

Another wicket for Mumbai! 

Maxwell walks back to the pavilion and it’s Jansen who gets rid of the danger man. Maxwell c Chris Lynn b Marco Jansen 39(28)

After 14 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 103/3 ( Glenn Maxwell 39 , AB de Villiers (W) 3)
 

Rahul Chahar with the ball. This is much better bowling from the leg-spinner. He gives away just four. The required run rate rises up to 9.5 after two good overs from Mumbai. 57 more needed in 36 balls.

After 13 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 99/3 ( Glenn Maxwell 37 , AB de Villiers (W) 1)

Bumrah is back. Fuller delivery to Maxwell who stays in his crease and plays the drive. It’s in the air for a little bit but wide off the fielder. Two runs for the batsman. Kohli then goes far too across and tries to clip it through square but misses it. Bumrah did it before and he has done it today. That’s why he’s one of the best bowlers across formats. Terrific over, a wicket and just four runs. ABD joins Maxwell.

Did you know?

This is Glenn Maxwell’s highest score in the last 21 innings in IPL.

LBW!

Bumrah’s back and he breaks the partnership. It’s the big wicket of Virat Kohli. Kohli lbw b Bumrah 33(29)

After 12 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 95/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 33 , Glenn Maxwell 34)

Watching Maxwell play his big shots, Kohli tries one by coming down the track but he doesn’t time it. The ball goes high in the air but falls in no man’s land behind cover. Kohli then looks for a pull against a short-pitched delivery but misses it. Chahar is wondering how did it miss the stumps. Entertaining over and it costs Mumbai 11 runs.

Did you know?

Glenn Maxwell hits a six in IPL-2021.

He didn’t hit a six facing 106 balls in IPL-2020.

After 11 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 84/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 30 , Glenn Maxwell 26)

So far so good for RCB. They need another 76 runs in 54 balls and AB de Villiers is yet to bat. Kohli is looking to rotate strike while Maxwell has the permission to play his shots. Mumbai need to break this partnership quickly. Nine off Krunal’s over.

HUGEEEEE! 

Maxwell comes down the track to Krunal and clears the stadium.  What a hit!

After 10 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 75/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 29 , Glenn Maxwell 18)

Marco Jansen is back to bowl his second over. His first over went for 13 runs so he needs a good one here. Bowls a good bouncer to Kohli who also does well to control his pull for a single. After bowling close to the body, he goes full and wide to Maxwell as the umpire signals it wide. Maxwell then goes for the drive but Suryakumar pulls off a terrific dive to save the runs. Another wide followed by a single to end the over.

After 9 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 69/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 27 , Glenn Maxwell 16)

Maybe, maybe this is the knock for Maxwell. He had a torrid tournament for the Punjab side last year but his first match with a new team, he’s looking his he has found his form. He has the support of Kohli on the other end so that’s also good news for him. If he keep playing his shots, the match could be over soon. Six runs off Krunal over including a boundary. Time out taken.

After 8 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 63/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 26 , Glenn Maxwell 11)

After the boundary from Maxwell, Kohli plays a nice late cut and both batsmen do well to collect three runs. Chahar then tosses up to Maxwell and gets hit for another boundary, this time over covers. Costly first over from the leggie. 13 off it.

After 7 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 50/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 23 , Glenn Maxwell 1)

Run out chance? Virat Kohli survives. The throw from point could’ve been better but there was never any run there. Kohli’s fault and Maxwell rightly said no to the run. Another decent over from Krunal Pandya. Just four from this one.

After 6 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 46/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 20 , Glenn Maxwell 0)

Boult comes to bowl his third over of the night. Patidar gets a four off the very first ball but then Boult comes back well. Clever bowling from the Kiwi pacer to remove Patidar. Another good decision from Rohit Sharma to bring the pacer on for this over. Glenn Maxwell is the new batsman and he’ll be under pressure to perform.

BOWLED! 

The knuckle ball does the trick for Boult. Patidar goes for the cut but drags it on to the stumps. Rajat Patidar b Boult 8(8)

Rajat Patidar’s numbers in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021:

Innings – 5, Runs – 221, Avg – 44.20, Strike rate – 153.47, 50s – 3

After 5 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 41/1 ( Virat Kohli (C) 20 , Rajat Patidar 4)

Krunal Pandya with the first breakthrough. Washington Sundar is not new to opening the batting but today he wasn’t looking comfortable at all. He tried too hard and it didn’t work out. Rajat Patidar joins Virat Kohli in the middle. Six runs and a wicket from this over.

After 4 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 35/0 ( Washington Sundar 10 , Virat Kohli (C) 18)

Good pace from Marco Jansen but he needs to get his line right. After a boundary and a single, Sundar tries to cut but gets beaten. Jansen oversteps in the next ball and the free-hit delivery goes for a boundary. Sundar punches the final ball through covers to collect two more runs. 13 off his first over in the IPL.

Some start for the RCB skipper tonight!

Kohli building up form and mindset for himself as an opening batsman in the T20 World Cup later this year

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) April 9, 2021

After 3 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 21/0 ( Washington Sundar 7 , Virat Kohli (C) 9)

Boult makes the mistake of offering width to Kohli and the RCB skipper says thank you with a scintillating shot. Sundar then tries to play a drive on the up but misses his hit. In the next ball, he makes room and plays it straight down the ground but can’t beat the fielder. Just one run to end the over.

After 2 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 15/0 ( Washington Sundar 6 , Virat Kohli (C) 4)

Bumrah bowls the second over. Good to see him in action after a long time. Sundar clips the first ball towards mid-wicket region. The ball is in the air but safe and it’s two runs for the batsman. Sundar then cuts a back of a length delivery and finds the gap but the timing is not there in the shot. Another double for the batsman. Just five from this over.

After 1 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 10/0 ( Washington Sundar 1 , Virat Kohli (C) 4)

Swing first up for Boult. He ball goes away from the batsman after pitching. Sundar is happy to let it go. The second one takes an edge off the bat, and guess what? Rohit Sharma at second slip puts it down. A simple chance for the Mumbai skipper but Sundar survives. Apart from the four wides, this is a good over from the Kiwi pacer but he still goes for runs. A  four and a dot to finish the first over.

Best bowling figures for RCB in IPL:

5/5 : Anil Kumble v RR, Cape Town, 2009
5/25 : Jaydev Unadkat v DC, Delhi, 2013
5/27 : Harshal Patel v MI, Chennai, 2021*

After 20 overs,Mumbai Indians 159/9 ( Jasprit Bumrah 1 , )

Dream final over from Harshal Patel as he gets rid of Krunal and Pollard off successive deliveries, getting both caught in the deep, nearly hitting the base of the leg-stump with Jansen on strike off the third, before uprooting the off stump to complete his five-for off the fourth. To add to that, Chahar’s run out off the last delivery as four wickets fall in the last over for just one run! A superb spell from Harshal Patel, collecting 5/27 — the first five-wicket haul collected by a bowler against the five-time champions! And a great fightback by RCB, collecting six wickets for just 31 runs in the last five overs as Mumbai finish on 159/9 after being asked to bat by Kohli.

We’ll be back in sometime for the Bangalore chase! Don’t go anywhere!

MI’s run-rate today:

1-6 overs : 6.83
7-15 overs : 9.67
16-20 overs : 6.20

OUT! A run out off the last ball of the Mumbai innings, with four wickets falling in the over, as Rahul Chahar is run out while pushing for a second run with Bumrah firmly standing at the non-striker’s end.

Chahar run out (Kohli/de Villiers) 0(0)

Mumbai Indians finish on 159/9 after being asked to bat first by the Royal Challengers Bangalore

OUT! Five-for for Harshal Patel, and what a final over this is turning out to be for the seamer! Marco Jansen misses the yorker, and sees his off stump get uprooted. MI 158/8

Jansen b Patel 0(2)

OUT! What a spell this is turning out to be from Harshal, as he gets rid of the dangerous Pollard with some clever change of pace, the batsman holing out to Sundar at deep square leg! What’s more, he’s on a hat-trick! MI 158/7

Pollard c Sundar b Patel 7(9)

OUT! Dan Christian brings the series of drops to an end as he holds on to the relatively easy chance to get rid of Krunal for 7, and give Harshal his third wicket of the evening. Krunal tries awkwardly whipping the back-of-length delivery, and doesn’t get the connection to clear the fence .MI 158/6

Krunal c Christian b Patel 7(7)

After 19 overs,Mumbai Indians 158/5 ( Kieron Pollard 7 , Krunal Pandya 7)

Another chance dropped, this time Virat failing to grab on to the ball at mid off after being struck hard by Krunal, and actually getting hit just under the eye from the rebound. The skipper though, decides against going off the field, staying on after a quick look in the dugout. Krunal smacks a short ball from Jamieson towards the midwicket fence for a four off the third delivery — which is called a no-ball as Kohli had stationed only three inside the circle, although Jamieson did well to collect a dot in the free hit. First boundary for Pollard off the penultimate delivery as he edges a slower bouncer over the keeper’s head. Dot to end the over, as Jamieson finishes with 1/27 from four on IPL debut, conceding 12 off his last over.

After 18 overs,Mumbai Indians 146/5 ( Kieron Pollard 2 , Krunal Pandya 1)

Another chance goes begging! Kishan mishits a well-directed slower bouncer from Harshal Patel, with Siraj spilling the ball at deep square leg to give the keeper-batsman another lifeline. Harshal then catches Kisha off guard with a superb yorker that traps him LBW next ball, although RCB have to use the DRS to overturn umpire Menon’s original not out decision. Rare mistake from the umpire who’s been in terrific form this season. Four runs and a wicket from what turned out to be a superb over from the right-arm seamer, and RCB have done well to tilt the balance back in their favour.

OUT! Patel decides to take matters into his own hands and not rely on his teammates for the dismissal, trapping Kishan LBW with a well-directed yorker that pitches just in line and hits him on his left foot, HawkEye later showing the ball to be hitting the off stump in its path. Umpire Menon had originally ruled it not out, and for once has to overturn his decision. MI 145/5

Kishan LBW Patel 28(19)

After 17 overs,Mumbai Indians 142/4 ( Ishan Kishan (W) 26 , Kieron Pollard 1)

Siraj, bowling his final over of the day, starts off with a wide down the leg side, but nearly gets rid of Kishan off the second. The keeper-batsman goes for a pull off a short ball, and would’ve been caught comfortably had it not been for Washington Sundar’s misjudgement of the flight path of the ball, resulting in the ball landing just short of the advertising cushion for a boundary. Single off the third, followed by a couple of dots as Kieron Pollard, the new batsman at the crease, takes his time to get his eye in. He collects a single off the penultimate ball to open his account, with Siraj ending his quota with a dot to walk away with figures of 0/22 from four overs.

SR in the death overs (16-20) in IPL:

Kieron Pollard: 175.0
Ishan Kishan: 193.6
Krunal Pandya: 168.1

After 16 overs,Mumbai Indians 135/4 ( Ishan Kishan (W) 21 , )

Harshal back into the attack from the end Chahal last bowled from. Ishan collects a single off the second delivery, followed by a brace to Hardik after working the ball through the leg side. Hardik then collects his second boundary by threading the gap between backward point and short third man. Successful appeal for lbw off the fifth as Hardik misses a full toss and gets hit on the front pad, going for the review right away. Three reds, with the ball shown to be hitting the base of leg, and the hard-hitting all-rounder’s on his way back to the dugout. Second timeout taken after the dismissal.

OUT! Harshal gets some respite after getting tonked for a few boundaries as he traps the dangerous Hardik Pandya LBW before he cause any further damage in the death overs. Traps him LBW with a full toss to which umpire Nitin Menon raises his fingers right away. Hardik reviews, and gets three reds in return. The umpire signals for the second timeout after the dismissal. MI 135/4

Hardik lbw Patel 13(10)

After 15 overs,Mumbai Indians 128/3 ( Ishan Kishan (W) 20 , Hardik Pandya 7)

Christian in place of Sundar now, Kohli probably saving a couple of the latter’s overs for the death. Hardik, meanwhile, collects his first boundary off the second ball, smashing the ball past the bowler with a full-blooded strike. Single off the fourth ball, followed by a brace off the penultimate delivery to Kishan, who keeps the strike with a single off the last ball. Eight off the over.

After 14 overs,Mumbai Indians 120/3 ( Ishan Kishan (W) 17 , Hardik Pandya 2)

Chahal continues to bleed runs as he gets smashed for a six and a four by Kishan off consecutive deliveries, undoing the pressure that had been building since the dismissals of Surya and Lynn. Meanwhile, new batsman Hardik Pandya too gets off the mark. Chahal finishes wicketless for 41 runs, a tough start to his season.

After 13 overs,Mumbai Indians 105/3 ( Ishan Kishan (W) 4 , Hardik Pandya 0)

Washington Sundar brought into the attack for the first time today. Lynn smacks a short ball from the offie down the ground for a boundary off the second delivery. The Aussie’s just one short of a fifty on debut when he ends up getting a thick leading edge while attempting to bring up the milestone in glorious fashion, instead looping the ball high towards mid on where Sundar completes a fine catch off his own bowling. RCB starting to make a comeback in the middle overs.

Ishan Kishan in middle-overs (7-15) in IPL-2020:

Runs: 273
Average: 54.60
SR: 140.72
4/6: 9/18

OUT! Outstanding catch by Washi off his own bowling to deny Lynn a fifty on debut! The Aussie tries to heave the ball towards the leg side, but ends up getting a thick leading edge, which still needed a superlative effort from the bowler as he had to dash all the way to mid on in quick time. MI 105/3

Lynn c and b Sundar 49(35)

After 12 overs,Mumbai Indians 98/2 ( Chris Lynn 44 , Ishan Kishan (W) 2)

Siraj returns to the attack, replacing Chahal, as Bangalore suddenly have a bit of momentum in their favour after breaking the partnership in the previous over. Just two singles off the first four deliveries. Lynn, looking to keep the pressure under check, attempting to loft the ball down the ground, but nearly gets caught by Jamieson at mid off. Kishan runs the ball down to third man for a single for a single to keep the strike. Four off the over.

After 11 overs,Mumbai Indians 94/2 ( Chris Lynn 42 , )

Jamieson, who has been the standout bowler in the RCB attack so far in terms of economy, returns to the attack, replacing Dan Christian. Single off each of the first two balls. Surya then moves to 31 with a maximum over deep midwicket, before getting caught-behind off the last delivery while attempting to nick short delivery — Jamieson using the advantage of his height to manufacture the breakthrough. Eight runs and a wicket from the over.

OUT! Jamieson breaks the partnership that was starting to look real dangerous! SKY’s looking to cut a short ball from Jamieson, but ends up getting an audible nick that results in a simple catch for keeper ABD. MI 94/2

Suryakumar c de Villiers b Jamieson 31(23)

After 10 overs,Mumbai Indians 86/1 ( Chris Lynn 41 , Suryakumar Yadav 24)

Chahal brought back in place of Harshal after the timeout, and is a lot more economical this time around, giving away just three singles off his third over. Vicious turn in the last delivery that gets Lynn’s outside edge, and nearly carries to short third man. Despite the tidy over, Chahal’s economy still is nearly nine, such has been the carnage. Mumbai collect 86 runs at the halfway stage, losing just Rohit’s wicket along the way.

Suryakumar Yadav average and SR in middle-overs in IPL – last two seasons:

2019 : 39.9, 128.0
2020 : 33.1, 129.3

After 9 overs,Mumbai Indians 83/1 ( Chris Lynn 40 , Suryakumar Yadav 22)

Seam brought back from both ends now, with Dan Christian replacing Shahbaz Nadeem. Suryakumar goes for a late cut towards third man off the second delivery to bring up the fifty stand with Lynn. The Aussie drills the ball down the ground with all his power, but can only race back for a second as there is protection in that region. Sundar puts in a spirited dive after a well-timed slap by Lynn through extra cover, but unfortunately for him and his side, his left foot’s touching the rope with the ball still in hand. A dot to end the over, with 13 coming off Christian’s first, as the umpire signals the first strategic timeout.

After 8 overs,Mumbai Indians 70/1 ( Chris Lynn 33 , Suryakumar Yadav 17)

Harshal Patel replaces Chahal, who’s been having an off day so far. Oversteps in the second delivery, and gets hit for a six by Lynn in the corresponding free hit. Surya then collects a boundary three balls later after Dan Christian — returning to the franchise for the first time since 2013 — failing to stop the ball from touching the advertising cushion. 15 off the over, with 40 coming off the last three. Mumbai Indians have well and truly taken off now, and the pressure’s on Kohli to break this stand.

After 7 overs,Mumbai Indians 57/1 ( Chris Lynn 26 , Suryakumar Yadav 11)

Spin from both ends now, as Shahbaz Ahmed replaces Kyle Jamieson. However, like Chahal, he too is struggling to hit the right lengths, as Lynn smashes him for a four and a six off consecutive balls, with Mumbai Indians crossing the fifty-run mark in the seventh over!

After 6 overs,Mumbai Indians 41/1 ( Chris Lynn 13 , Suryakumar Yadav 9)

Lynn finally gets the show going as he steps out of his crease, and smacks a fuller delivery from Chahal over long on for his first maximum off the second delivery. Brings Surya on strike with a single two balls later, with the No 3 batsman ending the over with a boundary after slapping a short and wide delivery from Chahal. 11 off the over. Mumbai have picked up pace at the end of the powerplay after getting off to a steady start.

After 5 overs,Mumbai Indians 30/1 ( Chris Lynn 6 , Suryakumar Yadav 5)

Change of ends for Jamieson, and Suryakumar Yadav wastes no time in getting off the mark, doing so with a feisty whip through square leg for a boundary off his first delivery. Couple of singles exchanged in the remainder of the over, with six being added to the Mumbai total in this over.

Rohit Sharma v Yuzvendra Chahal in IPL:

Runs: 29
Balls: 31
Dismissals: 1
SR: 93.55

After 4 overs,Mumbai Indians 24/1 ( Chris Lynn 5 , Suryakumar Yadav 0)

Spin brought into play in the fourth over as Kohli introduces Chahal, who very nearly gets rid of Lynn with a googly off the second ball, instead going for a boundary after the ball misses the leg stump following an inside edge. Rohit makes the matter worse for him by stepping out of his crease and smashing the ball over long on for the first maximum two balls later. However, confusion between Lynn and Rohit results in the latter getting run out for 19, making the over not so bad for RCB after all.

OUT! Royal Challengers Bangalore get the early breakthrough that they were looking for, and it’s Rohit Sharma who has to walk back after getting off to a good start. Ran almost halfway down the pitch from the non-striker’s, only to get sent back last min by Lynn. MI 24/1

Rohit run out (Kohli/Chahal) 19(15)

After 3 overs,Mumbai Indians 12/0 ( Rohit Sharma (C) 12 , Chris Lynn 0)

Rohit continues to struggle with getting the ideal connection as Siraj bowls the tight lines at a decent pace, whether it is toe-ending the ball towards mid on or missing a pull shot. Faint appeal for LBW off the fourth delivery turned down by the umpire, and looked like it was going down leg anyway. Rohit gets impatient in the fifth ball and goes for a lofted drive over mid off — where he just about manages to clear Kyle Jamieson’s fingertips and collect the first boundary of IPL 2021. Keeps the strike with a single off the last ball. Collects a brace off the last ball, with Siraj conceding six off his second.

After 2 overs,Mumbai Indians 6/0 ( Rohit Sharma (C) 6 , Chris Lynn 0)

Rohit collects a single off the first delivery, following which we have a debutant facing a debutant — Australian Chris Lynn facing trans-taxman neighbour Kyle Jamieson. Lynn gets an edge off the fourth delivery that, luckily for him, doesn’t carry all the way to the slip fielder. Couple of deliveries later Lynn takes a couple of steps forward, and nearly chops a short ball onto his stumps. Nervy start for Lynn so far, whose nerves will probably settle once he’s opened his account, or has hit his first boundary. Just one off the Kiwi all-rounder’s first over.

Mohammad Siraj’s economy rate in PP overs in IPL:

2017: 11.00
2018: 9.83
2019: 10.14
2020: 6.92

After 1 over,Mumbai Indians 5/0 ( Rohit Sharma (C) 5 , Chris Lynn 0)

MI skipper Rohit gets his side off the mark off the very first delivery, clipping the ball aimed at his pads through midwicket for a brace. Siraj shortens his length a bit two balls later, resulting in Rohit getting his rather uncomfortably on his thigh after missing a pull. Another brace to ‘Hitman’, this time off the fourth ball. A dot and a single off the last two balls, with five off the first over of the evening.

Head to Head in IPL:

Matches played: 27
MI won: 17
RCB won: 10 

Mumbai Indians have lost each of their last eight season openers in IPL. 

Mumbai Indians have won eight out of their last 10 encounters against Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL. 

Mumbai Indians have won their last five matches in Chennai. 

RCB have lost their last five matches in Chennai.

Someone’s making his big debut tonight!

𝗟𝗬𝗡𝗡𝗦𝗔𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗟𝗢𝗔𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 🔜 🔥@lynny50 makes his #MI debut 💙#OneFamily #MumbaiIndians #MIvRCB #IPL2021 pic.twitter.com/MFNtkAraam

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) April 9, 2021

Danny Morrison and Laxman Sivaramakrishnan with the pitch report:

DM: When I look the ground, it looks deceptively small. The straight boundary is 76 metres.

LS: Great to see something different. Looks a lot better than what was at the Test match. Looks like a good pitch to bat on. Once the ball gets older, there will be a lot of deviation. Bowl much full length, and you’ll get wickets.

IPL on Pod, Season 2: Previewing Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore

In this episode of our podcast, Firstpost’s Anish Anand, Shantanu Srivastava, and Jigar Mehta analyse the chances of the previous edition’s top four teams – Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Royal Challengers Bangalore Factbox

Royal Challengers Bangalore have been the dragons without fire over the years. Season after season, they boast of a formidable team, consisting of world-beaters, especially in the batting line-up. Most of the time, however, they have disappointed. 

Mumbai Indians Factbox

Mumbai Indians have been the most successful franchise in the Indian Premier League, having won five titles – 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020. They are one of the most consistent sides in the tournament having made it to the playoffs in nine out of 13 seasons. 

Preview: Glenn Maxwell could prove ‘X-factor’ as RCB aim to end trophy drought

If Maxwell does manage to hit from the word go, and RCB would hope he does fire, that would in fact ease the pressure on AB de Villiers, who has been heavily relied on, writes PN Vishnu. 

Preview: With no glaring weakness, Mumbai Indians favourites for unprecedented hattrick

Rohit has grown as a leader year after year and his captaincy combined with team management’s strategic planning and a powerful squad makes for a deadly combo. A majestic T20 machine, MI have the required ammunition on the field and off it as well in form of their backroom staff who know the perfect recipe for success. They fire as a collective unit, writes Jigar Mehta