FANTASY
Follow UsIt promises to be a Super Sunday as two heavyweights of the Indian Premier League, the Royal Challengers Bangalore lock horns against the Mumbai Indians in an evening encounter at the Dubai International Stadium. Despite having a plethora of stars in their line-up, the two sides have failed to get going and struggled in the second half of the competition.
However, MI can take plenty of confidence from their past exploits against RCB as they have registered 17 wins in the 28 matches played thus far. MI has won three games in their last five encounters, giving them a slight advantage heading into their much-awaited clash.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Overall: Matches – 28 | RCB - 11 wins | MI – 17 wins
Last five matches: RCB – 2 wins | MI – 3 wins
SUGGESTED TEAM
While you could go for the above team, you also have the option of choosing your team from Cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. You can use this tool to build your team with the help of algorithms. Based on your preferences, the platform will guide you through creating the ideal fantasy XI.
GROUND DETAILS
In the three matches played at Dubai International Stadium this season, it has been a mixed bag. The first match saw 156 being defended. In the second both teams scored 180+ runs and in the third 134 runs were scored in the first innings. On an average, this season has seen 158 runs being scored in the first innings. In the last 10 matches, 167 runs are the first innings average score.
The spinners haven’t had much luck in the last 10 matches, it is even worse in this season. The pacers have bagged 74.3 percent of the wickets as compared to 25.7 by the spinners in the last 10 matches. This reflects in their balls/wicket ratio as well. Pacers have picked up a wicket every 17.1 balls as compared to 30.8 by spinners. This season, the difference is even higher as the pacers have a balls/wicket ratio of 16.3 and spinners have a wicket every 40.6 balls.
SUGGESTED CAPTAIN
One of the rising stars in the Indian domestic circuit, Devdutt Padikkal, has been in sublime form in this edition of the IPL. The southpaw was the highest scorer for Bangalore in their six-wicket loss to the Super Kings as he smashed a well compiled 70 off 50 deliveries to set up the game. In the IPL 2021, he is the leading run-scorer for RCB with 287 runs at an average of 41 and a strike rate of 144.94, including an unbeaten hundred against the Rajasthan Royals.
Our Criclytics player projection predicts, Padikkal could score 25-37 runs against MI
X-FACTORS
The superman of world cricket, AB de Villiers, will hold the key for RCB in this high-voltage clash. While he has not set the stage on fire in the second half of the league, his record against Mumbai makes him one of the top picks as the captain. In the IPL since 2019, de Villiers has scored 263 runs against the formidable bowling unit of MI, which is the second most behind KL Rahul's 325. In this edition of the tournament, the South-African player has amassed 219 runs in nine matches at a strike rate of 158.69 including a quick-fire 48 off 27 balls in their league encounter earlier this year.
Our Criclytics player projection predicts, de Villiers could score 9-13 runs against MI
The Mumbai outfit would be heavily reliant on their skipper Rohit Sharma to guide them out of the challenging situation and help them gain vital two points. Despite struggling with a niggle, the right-handed batter is leading the charts for MI with 283 runs in eight matches at a strike rate of 125.77. In a high-voltage clash, MI would look to him to bring his years of experience to the fore to get their campaign back on track.
Our Criclytics player projection predicts, Rohit could score 27-41 runs against RCB
Another crucial player in this clash would be the holder of the Purple Cap, Harshal Patel. The right-arm medium pacer has scalped 19 wickets in nine matches, including a five-wicket haul that came against Mumbai in the reverse leg. Making optimum use of the variations in his arsenal, he has been the pick of the bowlers for RCB and the primary reason for their rise in the first phase of the competition.
Our Criclytics player projection predicts, Harshal could pick up 1-2 wickets against MI
