After enduring a thumping defeat against Delhi Capitals in their last league game at the Arun Jaitely Stadium, the Royal Challengers Bangalore will face Mumbai Indians in their next away fixture on Tuesday, May 9, at the Wankhede Stadium.

Faf du Plessis-led side are currently placed sixth in the points table with five wins in 11 league matches and will hope to get two vital points and break away from the mid-table muddle. 

Ahead of this high-voltage clash, Virat Kohli shared insights on the preparation of the team and the history between two loved franchises. 

"We love playing in Mumbai. I think it suits our style of play as well, and it does for Mumbai Indians as well. So, it is always an exciting game, always a game that is competitive and something that you certainly look forward to because we have played some really good cricket this season," Kohli said in a Game Day preview shared by the franchise on their official Twitter handle. 

MI v RCB Game Day Preview

Virat Kohli talks about the importance of the game, Harshal explains the mindset and approach on a batter friendly wicket like this, Mike Hesson simplifies the points table situation and more, on @hombalefilms brings to you Game Day.#PlayBold… pic.twitter.com/JYt1v5MH6v

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) May 9, 2023

"A couple of results did not go our way, which made us realize as a team the things that we need to do. Just a good opportunity to push on from here on the road," he further added. 

Director of Cricket Operations Mike Hesson also believes the venue is very similar to the Chinnaswamy Stadium, and the team would take a lot of confidence from playing at Wankhede in the last couple of seasons. 

"I think the Wankhede is similar to the Chinnaswamy in that it's a hard ground to defend. We spent the whole of our last year here and in some of the previous years as well, so we know this ground very well."

"We know that it is traditionally high-scoring, and when you have a couple of guys set at the backend, it makes it hard to contain," he added. 

One of the star performers for the Bangalore outfit, Harshal Patel, has blown hot and cold this season, but the speedster has backed himself to come good in this high-voltage clash. 

"Confidence comes from the execution of skill. So, the more you do it, the more confident you become. There are instances where you can't do it, and I've been going through that a lot this season. So, when you are going through something like that, you come back to the nets and try to correct whatever mistakes you think you are making."

"I strongly believe that even if you concede 50 runs in three overs, you could bowl your fourth over and win the game for the team. The challenge is to always focus on the next ball, and that is how you stay in the game and stay in the hunt."

"You have to change your sequencing a little bit when you are bowling at this particular venue. We are used to bowling a certain way when it comes to the Chinnaswamy or on slower pitches, but when you come to a ground like this, you have to back your on-page deliveries and try to push the batter back and bowl more conventionally," he concluded.