When Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batsman Sachin Baby said, nearly a week ago, that his side was poised to stage a comeback, not many believed him. Two rousing victories later, his prediction seems to be coming true.
Though not out of the woods yet, the team has posted four wins in nine matches. Last Saturday, the Bengaluru outfit took out Rising Pune Supergiants on the back of an unbeaten century from Virat Kohli. On Monday, it edged Kings XI Punjab out by one run.
Besides Kohli, the orange cap holder, RCB has also leaned on AB de Villiers to do the job. The South African can don the role of the match-winner with as much aplomb as Kohli - as shown during his 35-ball 64 against Punjab. In the same engagement, K. L. Rahul and Shane Watson (the best bowler in the side) also made significant contributions. The pieces of the puzzle are beginning to fit.
Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, need to recover from a crushing 85-run defeat suffered at the hands of Sunrisers Hyderabad on Monday.
Chasing 177, Rohit Sharma and his men were bundled out for a paltry 92. With five wins and five losses so far, Mumbai stands only marginally ahead of the home side on the points table.
Mumbai all-rounder Hardik Pandya explained that his mates aren't too worried about the rout, but added that a lot rides on the outcome of this fixture. “This is almost like a do-or-die match for RCB and us. Whoever loses here will find it difficult to get beyond the league stage,” he said.
Asked if the Mumbai bowlers had a plan to counter RCB’s batting line-up, Pandya replied, “We all know how strong the RCB batting line-up is. As bowlers, we need to be confident and believe in our plans.”
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