Mumbai Indians will take on Royal challengers Bangalore at Wankhede Stadium on Saturday. Sachin Tendulkar and Dinesh Karthik would be looking to get their form back in this crunch match whereas it would be interesting to see how the Mumbai bowlers tackle the trio of Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli and AB De Villiers.
Here we bring to you the players to watch out for the match between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
Mumbai Indians (MI)
Sachin Tendulkar: Tendulkar hasn’t been in best of form this season but on home turf he can be very dangerous as he knows the length and breadth of it. He should be feeling relieved after some impressive performance of Dwayne Smith as if they both gets going, they can pace they innings as they want.
Dinesh Karthik: Karthik got out quite cheaply in last two games but would be looking to come up with a good performance which he showed in the first few matches. His ability to shift his gears will come in handy when RP Singh and Vinay Kumar will be bowling their overs after power-play.
Rohit Sharma: Sharma has done really well in this edition of IPL and with some good scores on this ground, he would be looking to score as much as possible in this tight game. His captaincy skills will also be tested especially how he rotates his bowlers in the mid-overs.
Lasith Malinga: Malinga will be the key for Mumbai Indians in this match as he will be having a tough task to dismantle the trio of Virat, Gayle and De Villiers as soon as possible. With some wickets in his kitty in last match, he must have got the much needed confidence to bowl those toe-crushing yorkers with great accuracy.
Pragyan Ojha: Ojha bowled bowling brilliantly in the last match. He used his flighted deliveries well but will have to be a bit careful while doing the same against Chris Gayle who can punish him badly.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)
Chris Gayle: Chris Gayle played a ruthless innings against Pune Warriors and would be looking to do same against the likes of Ojha and Malinga at Wankhede Stadium. It’s going to be a batting paradise and his stay at the crease will matter the most for RCB.
Virat Kohli: Kohli has been instrumental this season for RCB not just as a batsman but also as a captain. His ability to pick right bowlers for death overs and setting up a role for everyone is something great to see. He will be up against one of the best sides and would be looking to come up with an ace performance this time too.
AB De Villiers: De Villiers has been fantastic with the bat for RCB. His ability to mould himself according to the situation makes him a treat to watch and he would be looking to get the best out of him against MI. His last knock of 31 runs off just eight balls tells the whole story of what he is capable of doing in death overs.
RP Singh: RP Singh is looking in good form after couple of bad outings in the second week of IPL. He will be playing against the team which he represented last season and would be looking to exploit the conditions well. In last match, he bowled sensibly by showing good variations and ended up with the bowling figures of 1/20 in his four overs.
Vinay Kumar: Vinay has been the most consistent bowler for RCB and would be looking to continue that good form against a competitive batting line-up of Mumbai Indians. His ability to pick wickets in mid-overs makes him the most important bowler in RCB’s outfit.
By Amit Chopra
Indian Sports News Network
