Upbeat Mumbai seek to spoil Kohli's RCB return
Near-full-strength teams face off in what is likely to be a run-fest in Bangalore
The Preview by Nikhil Kalro
13-Apr-2017
Match facts
Royal Challengers Bangalore v Mumbai Indians
Bengaluru, April 14, 2017
Start time 1600 local (1030 GMT)
Bengaluru, April 14, 2017
Start time 1600 local (1030 GMT)
Head to head
Last season Mumbai Indians, bowling first on both occasions on chasing-friendly grounds, won both games.
Overall Mumbai have an 11-8 winning record against Royal Challengers in the IPL. At the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, Mumbai have won six of seven games against RCB.
In the news
Royal Challengers captain Virat Kohli is available, having recovered from a shoulder injury. AB de Villiers, who missed the first two games with a back injury, struck a 46-ball 89 against Kings XI in the previous game. This means Royal Challengers will have their strongest squad, save for KL Rahul. Kohli, at a press conference, said Chris Gayle is a "top-contender" to play in all home matches. Vishnu Vinod may therefore be left out, and Jadhav could resume wicketkeeping duties.
Kohli also said Royal Challengers are unlikely to bat first again at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. "We decided to strengthen our bowling and then back that part of our side, but now with me coming back that might change again," Kohli said. "Bangalore has generally been a ground where you can chase down high totals. Tomorrow, being a day game, really matters because the wicket plays much better under lights than during the day time."
Since Lasith Malinga's return from international duty, only Ambati Rayudu's absence does not let them be a full-strength side. Their headache is the form of fast bowler Mitchell McClenaghan, who has conceded 129 runs and taken three wickets in three games this season. In a like-for-like replacement, Mumbai may bring in Tim Southee for McClenaghan.
The likely XIs
Royal Challengers Bangalore: 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Virat Kohli, 3 AB de Villiers, 4 Shane Watson, 5 Kedar Jadhav, 6 Mandeep Singh, 7 Stuart Binny, 8 Pawan Negi, 9 Tymal Mills, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Aniket Choudhary
Mumbai Indians: 1 Parthiv Patel, 2 Jos Buttler, 3 Rohit Sharma, 4 Nitish Rana, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Krunal Pandya, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Jasprit Bumrah
Stats that matter
Who can Mumbai use? Krunal Pandya has conceded just seven runs in 10 balls against de Villiers. Krunal dismissed him twice in the last season.
At the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Malinga has taken 5 wickets in 20 overs, at an average of 31.80 and an economy rate of 7.95, his worst at any venue where he's bowled at least 20 overs.
Nikhil Kalro is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo