IPL 2022 RCB vs MI Preview - Now or never for the Mumbai Indians

Key match stats RCB vs MI

Pitch Stats – Maharashtra Stadium

Average first innings score: 170
Average first innings winning score: 187
Average powerplay score: 46
All-time win % batting 1st vs batting 2nd: 38% / 62%

Team form RCB vs MI
RCB – LWW
MI – LLL
Recent meetings: IPL 2021 - RCB won by 54 runs, RCB won by 2 wickets

RCB vs MI Preview

While we might only be a couple of weeks into IPL 2022, for 3 of the teams playing on Saturday, it is already very much getting to the time where we can say it's now or never for them to start picking up points and moving towards the play-off positions.

In the previous 8 team IPL format, 8 wins out of 14 was almost a guarantee of qualification, 7 or even 6 wins would give you a chance but teams would often be relying on net run rate to squeeze over the line. Of course with 10 teams but the same number of games being played, it's likely that those final couple of qualification spots are going to be even more congested!

If Mumbai lose today against a strong looking RCB side, do they still have a chance of qualification? Technically yes but they'd have to win at least 7 of their 10 remaining matches and on present form that looks like a challenge.

It's increasingly looking like MI had a bad auction. Big money signing Tim David lasted just a couple of matches before he found himself carrying the drinks, Daniel Sams (as we've mentioned in previous blogs) continues to look a very limited option with both bat and ball and MI's decision to splash out on Jofra Archer, a player who was never going to be available to them in IPL 2022, has left them looking short of options to change things around.

Mumbai's defeat against KKR was reminiscent of their previous loss against Rajasthan in as much as if you take away 1 or 2 horror overs for their bowlers, it was a very good and controlled display. However, the fact that this keeps happening only underlines the fact that opposition batsmen feel confident of targeting the various weak spots in this MI attack.

Meanwhile RCB are warming up nicely following a very rusty looking display in their opening game against PBKS. Victories against 2 other early pace setters in KKR and Rajasthan will have done their confidence no end of good and they now have Australian contingent Glenn Maxwell and Josh Hazlewood to add to their ranks.

Maxwell could be seen alongside teammates during the win over RR is likely to come in for Sherfane Rutherford in this game while Hazlewood was given a couple of extra days off following the Australia tour of Pakistan and is therefore not likely to play today.

If previous fixtures are anything to go by then this should be a great game to watch! RCB won the opening match of last season against Mumbai off the very last ball while in 2020 these 2 sides required a super over to separate them!

Venue wise, the pitch at Pune has certainly favoured the seamers making run scoring in the powerplay difficult. Equally, the dew factor has not had an impact here in the same way that it has at other grounds and indeed, it took that brilliant cameo from Pat Cummins for a side to register their first win chasing at the Maharashtra Stadium so it will be interesting to see what decision is made at the toss and how both teams look to build a score on this pitch.

RCB vs MI head to head

MI bowling vs RCB batting

Mumbai vs Bangalore is one of the highlights of any IPL season and provides some great match-ups of high profile players on both sides.

Bumrah vs du Plessis head to head

As noted above, the pitch in Pune has offered bounce and movement with the new ball so RCB will be keen to see off MI's pace attack and in that regard skipper Faf du Plessis's head to head against Bumrah is very strong.

Du Plessis and fellow opener Rawat's role in surviving the new ball is even more important when you consider that other star batsmen in this RCB line-up don't have a particularly good record against these Mumbai bowlers.

Kohli's combined career average against the likely MI seam attack (Bumrah, Mills, Sams, Thampi and Pollard) is just 29 but it's his head to head against the later name in that list that really stands out.

Pollard vs Kohli head to head

Virat has certainly gone after the part-time medium pace of Kieron Pollard in previous meetings but it has cost him his wicket on occasions and I'm sure Mumbai would happily trade a couple of boundaries for the prize scalp of the former captain. I expect Rohit Sharma will dangle the carrot of Pollard should his frontline bowlers fail to break through.

Glen Maxwell had a major impact in IPL 2021 following a few lean years in the IPL but this is probably not the kind of pitch or indeed opposition that suits his game. RCB generally used him in a floating role last season specifically to target opposition spinners but I'd be surprised if he got more than 4 overs of spin to hit in this game.

Bumrah vs Maxwell head to head

Going at Maxwell with the short-ball early in his innings is the modus operandi of most teams around the world and it's provided very successful for Jasprit Bumrah in previous encounters with the Australian - expect all of MI's seamers to follow suit particularly on this surface!

RCB bowling vs MI batting

Rohit Sharma's scratchy form in previous seasons has generally been ignored because as captain of the 2019 and 2020 champions he was considered untouchable. However, he really needs to deliver something big with bat in hand for his team now not to mention for his national side.

India has such fantastic strength and depth available to them that they are probably the only team in world cricket who could conceivably look a stronger side without Rohit Sharma in their T20 XI at the moment and that might cause problems with another World T20 on the horizon if Rohit can't find some form soon.

Siraj vs Rohit Sharma head to head

Rohit's T20 record against RCB's probable new ball attack is very good so he'll hope to add his meagre returns so far.

While seam has dominated proceedings in Pune, don't underestimate the impact that the wrist spin of Hasaranga could have in determining this game particularly against a Mumbai middle order that has looked tentative against it in previous games. Both Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal bowled game changing spells in their matches against MI this year.

All stats used in this blog are from my own database. Images are my own with the exception of player profiles and background images from the below sources and used under a creative commons license or otherwise royalty free

https://www.iplt20.com/
https://pixabay.com/images/search/cricket%20stadium/
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en