Cricket fans are eagerly anticipating the 20th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) featuring the Mumbai Indians (MI) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). The match will take place at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday, April 12.
The Mumbai Indians have had a tough start, with just one win in three matches, while the Royal Challengers have performed better, winning two out of three.
Before this crucial match, former South African bowler Dale Steyn shared on Star Sports’ Instagram that he believes Hardik Pandya will be a key player and could win the Player of the Match award. Other notable players in the game include MI’s Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and Suryakumar Yadav, as well as RCB’s Virat Kohli, Tim David, and Josh Hazlewood.
This season, Hardik has not quite hit his stride, accumulating only 27 runs and taking one wicket in two games.
Meanwhile, Steyn expressed confidence in Phil Salt, hoping he will rebound after a slow start; he has just 54 runs in three matches and was dismissed for a golden duck in his last game against the Rajasthan Royals.
Steyn also noted that Jasprit Bumrah is expected to take wickets, despite not having claimed any so far, although he maintains a strong economy rate of 8.
In their previous encounter last season at Wankhede, RCB scored 221/5, driven by half-centuries from Kohli and Patidar. MI responded with 209/9, featuring a four-wicket haul from Krunal Pandya.
The overall head-to-head between RCB and MI is 15-19, giving the five-time champions a slight edge. However, the defending champions have won three of the last five matches against MI. Tickets for Sunday’s match are sold out, promising an exciting contest in Mumbai.