As a new week beckons, two more matches will be played in the fifth season of
the Indian Premier League as Mumbai Indians prepare to battle it
out with Royal Challengers Bangalore.
With eight wins so far and three matches to play, Mumbai Indians are reasonably
well placed in third place to make it to the playoffs. They recovered well from
their defeat against Royal Challengers Bangalore to beat Kolkata Knight
Riders by 27 runs. But they will be keen to avoid losing another match against
RCB that will open things up. The trounced Kolkata thanks to a whirlwind century
by Rohit Sharma and an impressive return to the side by Herschelle Gibbs.
With Kieron Pollard in the side, the batting looks formidable though they would
want to avoid a collective collapse that has been the reason for them losing
a few matches. The bowlers have done just about enough to keep the opposition
in check. Lasith Malinga though has not picked up many wickets lately
still remains a true weapon as always.
Click for Live Score Card of Bangalore Royal Challengers Vs Mumbai Indians
Their opponents, Royal Challengers Bangalore, are on a three-match winning
streak that sees them life up to 15 points, with some breathing space over their
rivals on the points table. They won against Pune Warriors in the last match
- a comfortable win spearheaded by both their openers. Chris Gayle has
been in emphatic form through this season while Tillakaratne Dilshan has also
played a few vital knocks. In addition, the bowlers are slowly beginning to
respond to the situation better with wicket-taking spells from Vinay Kumar
while Muttiah Muralitharan remains as potent as over. Zaheer Khan also recovered
well to pick up two wickets and now would be an ideal time for him to strike
some consistent form.
The match will be played in Bangalore with the action getting underway at 4.00pm.
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