Mother of all battles is about to begin at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru as Mumbai Indians will take on Royal Challengers Bangalore on Thursday. Both the teams have new captains in Ricky Ponting (MI) and Virat Kohli (RCB) and the likes of Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard are ready to unleash themselves to make this match a spectacle.

Here we bring to you the players who might come all guns blazing on Thursday to make this T20 affair a memorable one.

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)

Chris Gayle: Gayle-storm is all set to hit this season and with splendid knocks in Big Bash, he is confident of repeating the performance of yesteryears. Gayle has always been the trump-card as he creates a lot of pressure with his monstrous sixes. His ability to clear the ropes with his shear strength, makes him the most entertaining and dangerous player in the shortest format of the game.

Most of the team do the same mistake, of plotting their strategy around him and they tend to overlook the other crucial players who can be equally dangerous. As long as he stays at the crease, opposition will always have a threat.
 

Virat Kohli: Newly appointed captain of RCB has been in decent touch with the bat. Last year he wasn’t so impressive, but this time he is ready to wash off those bad memories. With the responsibility of captaincy, he must be looking forward to set a perfect example of leading from the front. Kohli strength is to start off slow and then gradually go after the bowlers.
 

AB DeVilliers: De Villiers has hit the purple patch just before the start of the series,  with back to back fifties in the recent international matches and is looking to make a greater impact this time. Inclusion of De Villiers in the squad also resolves the worry of wicket-keeping and with his experience of leading an international side, he can be a great investment for Virat Kohli as he is in the initial stages of his captaincy.
 

Muttiah Murlitharan: Spin-Wizard is back in town and is roaring to get back in action. He gives tremendous amount of strength to the bowling attack of RCB. His ability to run through the best batting line-up makes him the deadliest bowler of all times. He has been the master of disguise from the past two decades and lot is expected from him in this edition of IPL. Off-late, he looked in great touch in Big Bash which ensured that RCB will surely get the services of the best bowler of their team.
 

Saurabh Tiwary: Saurabh Tiwary can be very instrumental in the middle-order. He has not been in terrific form in recent times, but a player of his calibre would surely be looking of making a comeback to the national squad with some impressive performances in IPL. The southpaw has ability to clear the fence and with De Villiers he can be very destructive in the mid-overs. His high-standard fielding has always earned him praises and similar kind of performance is expected from him.

Mumbai Indians (MI)
 

Sachin Tendulkar: It doesn’t matter which format he will play, he has all that it takes to make his team win the matches. Tendulkar’s ability to mould his game according to the situation makes him a world-class player. Demi-god of cricket has been the cornerstone of MI since the inception of IPL. With tons of experience that he carries, he is an inspiration to everyone in the Mumbai Indians dressing room.
 

Ricky Ponting: Newly appointed captain of Mumbai Indians is looking in great touch with the bat. His impressive performances in Sheffield Trophy and Big Bash earned him a chance to be in the Mumbai Indians squad. Ponting has always been an aggressive player but has kept himself away from T20 in past few years. But now he is looking very well prepared to smash the bowlers with his favourite pull and hook shots. It would be a great site for every cricketing fanatic when the two legends of modern-era cricket, Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting, will take the centre stage for Mumbai Indians on Thursday.
 

Kieron Pollard: Caribbean-thunder is ready to rock the IPL with his all-round performance. He has been one of the biggest match-winners for Mumbai Indians in the last two editions. His ability to hit the ball out of the park at his own will stands him apart among the all big hitters. The way he deceives the batsmen with his slow balls has always been a treat to watch. Pollard’s presence is more than enough to create turbulence in the opposition’s mind.
 

Munaf Patel: Munaf has not played any international cricket match for quite a sometime, but his performances had always been a class apart in IPL. He has always been amongst the wickets when it comes to the T20 affairs because of his variations. His ability to use the slower deliveries to deceive the batsmen has always worked in his favour. The only problem with him is his sloppiness on the field.
 

Rohit Sharma: Rohit has been in the worst form of his career and is definitely looking forward to break his flop streak in the sixth edition of IPL. He has always cherished when it comes to IPL and this time much better performance is expected from him. Under the limelight of Ponting and Tendulkar, he can reinvent himself as a better batsman. Tendulkar has always rated him the batsman of the high quality but he has failed to justice to Master’s belief. This is a high time for him to come up with something spectacular so that he can make the Mumbai Indians proud of him