Not many of us have recovered from the after-effects of Sunday’s stunning encounter between Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab. However, the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 is already ready with a big-ticket battle between two of the biggest names in Indian cricket — Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Royal Challengers Bangalore face Mumbai Indians in the 10th match of the new season in Dubai on Monday.
For Virat Kohli, recent history or their poor head-to-head record against Mumbai Indians is not going to be the only cause for concern. RCB have beaten MI only twice in their last 10 meetings. At IPL 2019, MI won both their encounters to improve their overall record against RCB to 18-9.
Familiar troubles have returned to haunt Virat Kohli’s RCB at the IPL. While their bowling unit delivered against Sunrisers Hyderabad despite them not posting in excess of 160, it fell apart when they took on the power-packed Kings XI Punjab bowling unit in Dubai a couple of evenings ago.
IPL 2020 – Top Scorers | Points Table
Unlike Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi haven’t played host to a lot of high-scoring encounters as of now. However, RCB leaked aplenty against KXIP at the Dubai International Stadium. KL Rahul took RCB bowlers to the cleaners as he hit a 132 not out in just 69 balls to help his team post 206 in their quota of 20 overs. Pace great Dale Steyn gave away 57 in 4 overs while Umesh Yadav continued to give freebies to opposition batsmen, leaking 35 in just 3 overs.
Can captain Virat Kohli hit form against Mumbai Indians?
In response, RCB folded for just 109 in a batting display that should have hurt their confidence. Captain Virat Kohli has not been in the best of forms ash he has managed just 15 runs from 2 innings so far. Kohli, coming into the tournament after a long break, will be hoping to return to form as they face a tough test on Monday.
It’s early days in the competition but their batting unit still looks heavily reliant on their top-order. Kohli will be hoping their opener Devdutt Padikkal and Aaron Finch deliver and make the job easy for him and AB de Villiers who looks a class apart.
Watch out for Kohli’s catching as the RCB captain took the responsibility for dropping easy chances that handed reprieves to KL Rahul who made the Bangalore-based side pay.
Rested Mumbai Indians look to stitch winning run
On the other hand, Mumbai Indians looked rusty in the tournament opener when they suffered a 5-wicket loss to Chennai Super Kings. However, the defending champions bounced back and thrashed Kolkata Knight Riders in their second game on September 23.
Rohit Sharma hit form as the MI captain went on a six-hitting spree in Abu Dhabi, collecting 80 from just 54 balls. Their bowling unit stood up, with Jasprit Bumrah, James Pattinson and Trent Boult making lives difficult for the KKR batsmen.
Having had a 4-day break after their first-ever win the UAE, Mumbai Indians will be refreshed and motivated to stitch a winning run here. Virat Kohli and RCB need to bounce back and be at their best if they are to stop the 4-time champions in Dubai.