MI vs RCB head-to-head record: Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on each other at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
There is not much separating Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2024. Both of them are struggling. After losing three matches in a row, MI finally managed to get on the board beating Delhi Capitals in a high-scoring encounter but their problems seem far from over. RCB, on the other hand, are faring no batter. They are at No.9 in the points table, a spot below MI, with just one win in four matches.
MI vs RCB head-to-head(IPL)
While there is still some time to go press the panic button, both MI and RCB have to pull up their socks if they don’t want to get too far behind in the race to playoffs.
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With the halfway mark of the ongoing IPL approaching rapidly, it is imperative for RCB’s overseas stars, including skipper Faf du Plessis (109 runs), Glenn Maxwell (32) and Cameron Green (68) to find form. Kohli’s imperious form — 316 runs with one century and two fifties at a strike rate of 146.29 — has been the lone bright spot for RCB.
With the memories of his 50th ODI century in the World Cup semifinal at the Wankhede Stadium just five months ago still fresh, Kohli would be keen to flourish again at the same venue on Thursday.
Any bowling attack would be left searching for answers if one of their part-timers is topping the list of wicket-takers. And in RCB’s case, whose bowling looked threadbare even before they hit the ground running, Maxwell’s four scalps neither provide any respite nor assurance.
But their recent record against MI could boost RCB, who have won four of their last five games. The overall record in 32 matches, however, is tilted in favour of the five-time champions, who enjoy 18 wins against RCB’s 14.
MI would know present circumstances provide them with a ripe opportunity to build up on their recent success and move further up in the points table after a rough start.
For a side which invariably starts IPL with a few losses, MI know their way around these lanes. A contest against a floundering RCB could bring about their second win on the trot and some further boost in confidence, before facing defending champions Chennai Super Kings.
But it would be imperative for MI not to get too far ahead since they also have their share of concerns. Even though Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan have set the scoring tempo at the top, the middle-order has failed to carry the momentum for which skipper Hardik Pandya is answerable to a large extent.
It remains to be seen if the anger of MI fans against Pandya persists when he takes the field next, as he got some respite in their last game which was attended by thousands of children and not regular supporters.
Suryakumar Yadav’s return amid a lot of attention ended in a damp squib, but the world’s no. 1 T20 batter would be itching to hit the strides and get a big score.
Romario Shepherd’s blitz against Anrich Nortje for 32 runs in an over clearly proved to be the difference against DC here, since the visitors managed to go past the 200-run mark despite not looking threatening enough while chasing an imposing 235-run target.
