Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore Preview: Clash of big guns

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 will kick-off in Chennai as the two-time defending champions Mumbai Indians will take on Royal Challengers Bangalore on Friday. While Mumbai are notoriously slow starters, Bangalore are known to be quick off the blocks. Either way, with the sides stacked with T20 superstars this match should be a treat for all the cricket fans.

Mumbai Indians topped the league stage with nine wins last season that included a 1-1 result with Royal Challengers Bangalore. The first match was won by the Bangalore outfit via Super Over, while Mumbai won the second by five wickets.

In the recent player auction, Mumbai strengthened with the addition of all-rounder James Neesham, while speedster Adam Milne, experienced leg-spinner Piyush Chawla and upcoming South African quick Marco Jansen have been added.

The team received a COVID-19 scare when one of the staff members tested positive, but as of Wednesday the entire playing team returned negative tests.

Royal Challengers Bangalore finished fourth last season during the regular phase, but crashed out after a six-wicket loss in the eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The RCB outfit is chasing its first IPL title and will be keen to start well.

Bangalore have added exciting names in the player auction with the hard-hitting Finn Allen and Glenn Maxwell expected to shore their batting resources. Kyle Jamieson has also been added to the roster and presents an exciting choice for captain Kohli.

Devdutt Padikkal is expected to miss the game after testing positive, although subsequently returning a negative test and re-joining the bubble. The young Mohammed Azharuddeen and Rajat Patidar should fancy their chances of playing the game.

Mumbai Indians have a 18-10 win-loss record against Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL matches. They have won eight of the last ten matches against Bangalore, indicating a recent strong hold over this fixture.

Mumbai have an edge on paper and on historical count. Most of the players are fresh from recent match practice, with the likes of Rohit, Pandya brothers, Pollard, Ishan Kishan and Boult having played international cricket. Bangalore will look to their superstars Kohli and ABD although the South African could be rusty on account of no meaningful match practice. It could come down to the battle of big hitting, as the sides look to start with a win.

Mumbai have traditionally started slow and that gives a huge boost to Bangalore to start their season with a win here. Regardless, the strong Mumbai unit should start with aggressive batting up front and some quality hitting throughout. Backing the Mumbai Indians to score more powerplay runs than Bangalore looks to be a good pick. Same goes with the sixes count as Mumbai have an edge over Bangalore in that market. For those looking at the final result market, back Bangalore to spring a surprise here over traditional slow starters Mumbai.