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IPL 2021, RCB Predicted XI vs MI: New opening pair, a revamped middle-order ready to challenge defending champions
Captain Kohli has already shown his interest in opening the innings but selecting the rest of the 10 players won’t be an easy task for RCB’s think tank.
The Indian Premier League 2021 begins today in Chennai and will witness defending champions Mumbai Indians locking horns with Royal Challengers Bangalore. The Virat Kohli-led side made it to the playoffs last season but were knocked out of the tournament after losing to the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Eliminator.
IPL live score, Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
With a new season, RCB’s quest of winning the trophy also begins. There is ample of firepower in RCB’s arsenal which can restrict Mumbai Indians from breaking the jinx of losing its first game. Captain Kohli has already shown his interest in opening the innings but selecting the rest of the 10 players won’t be an easy task for RCB’s think tank.
READ | IPL 2021, MI vs RCB Preview: Can Kohli break open Mumbai's aura of invincibility?
Here is RCB’s predicted XI against Mumbai Indians:
Virat Kohli (C): He may not have scored a century in last one year in any of the formats but he has been in a rich vein of form recently. He was among runs in the recently-concluded T20I series against England which India pocketed 3-2. He promoted himself to open the innings there and obtained satisfactory results. He will hope to continue the same momentum against MI tonight.
Devdutt Padikkal: The find of IPL 2020 – Padikkal will be a fantastic opening partner to Kohli in the season opener. He will enter the tournament after having a memorable time in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, in which he scored 737 runs from 7 innings. He has recently recovered from Covid and will be raring to go against MI.
Rajat Patidar/Mohammed Azharuddeen: The middle-order is likely to witness a debutant ply his trade in today’s game. Patidar has been in good touch and also scored a fifty in RCB’s recently-held intra-squad practice match. Azharuddeen, on the other hand, came in focus after his hundred in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and a couple of fifty-plus scores in Vijay Hazare Trophy. Both are young talents and an opportunity can mould them into better performer.
AB de Villiers: Kohli opening the innings might see Mr 360 batting at No 3 in tonight’s clash. De Villiers has always acted as a catalyst in RCB’s batting line-up. If he gets going, MI will be in big trouble in the season opener.
READ | IPL 2021, MI Predicted XI vs RCB: Openers' dilemma for the defending champions
Glenn Maxwell: RCB’s new recruit Maxwell had one of the worst seasons last year. He scored just 108 runs in 14 games without hitting a single six. However, he found his mojo back in the limited-overs series against India. He will look to start afresh this year and if he finds his form, the Mumbai Indians know what their ex-player is capable of.
Washington Sundar: The youngster from Tamil Nadu has been in top form lately. His brilliance Down Under and back home against England speaks volume about his capability. He fits perfectly in RCB’s middle-order.
Dan Christian: The Australian all-rounder will return to IPL with RCB this year. Dan has been a handy all-rounder who possesses hard-hitting skills along with scalping wickets at crunch situations.
Kyle Jamieson: Another big buy of RCB this season – Kyle Jamison has been in good form lately. His spells against Pakistan in the recently-concluded home series were the highlights of his bowling prowess. Jamieson’s presence will surely solve RCB’s pace bowling woes this year.
Mohammed Siraj: Siraj will be one of the crucial cogs in Virat Kohli’s arsenal. He had a decent outing in IPL 2020, where he scalped 11 wickets in 9 matches. He then proved his mettle against Australia and England in the Test series and now is ready to roar in IPL 2021.
Yuzvendra Chahal: Chahal was a bit out of colour in the recently-concluded limited-overs series against England. But considering the Chennai track under lights, Chahal can pose some serious threat to the MI batting unit.
Navdeep Saini: Saini has always been a positive factor of the RCB unit. He can control the run flow along with scalping wickets at regular interval. His presence completes the line-up with a lethal pace attack.
RCB Predicted XI vs MI: Virat Kohli (C), Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar / Mohammed Azharuddeen, AB de Villiers, Glenn Maxwell, Washington Sundar, Daniel Christian, Kyle Jamieson, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal, Navdeep Saini
