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One team can reach the play-offs | IPL 2020 Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru: SWOT Analysis

Rohit Sharma’s absence will be a blow for MI
Last Updated 28 October 2020, 08:18 IST

The Mumbai Indians face the Royal Challengers Bangalore in match 48 at Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Here's the DH analysis.

The SWOT for MI

Strengths: The bowlers had a rare off day against Rajasthan. The bowling, however, remains the best in the league. Jasprit Bumrah is known to bounce back quickly, so he should be back to operating at full steam today. James Pattinson got two wickets on his return to the playing XI. The bowlers should get back to their best and target the right areas for each batsman.

Weaknesses: Rohit Sharma’s continued absence is a big blow to MI's play-off prospects. Rohit is an IPL veteran and one of the best white-ball players in the world. The team’s batting has come under serious pressure in his absence. With Saurabh Tiwary replacing Rohit, MI’s top-order has lost quite a bit of power and is now packed with left-handers.

Opportunities: Kieron Pollard can make his mark as MI's new captain. If Pollard is able to guide them to the final, it would be massive boost to his already impressive T20 resume.

Threats: They should be careful and not get hung up on Rohit's absence. The batting looked shaky against Rajasthan, so the remaining batters need to take up the responsibility.

The SWOT for RCB

Strengths: The batting has been pretty good. Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Devdutt Padikkal have been among the top run-getters. Lower down the order, Chris Morris has scored quick runs too.

Weaknesses: Aaron Finch has been off his game. He seems to be under pressure and is throwing away his wicket early. He needs to do much better.

Opportunities: Kohli can surprise the opposition by opening the batting with Padikkal. Finch can be given a break and Moeen Ali can be tried out. Isuru Udana should also continue.

Threats: With Navdeep Saini's injury, RCB's bowling has been weakened. Umesh Yadav is likely to fill in but he's not known for his death bowling and tends to leak runs. In a crucial match like this, Umesh’s spell could be the difference.

Head to head:

Matches played: 28

Mumbai Indians: 18

Royal Challengers Bangalore: 10

Last five matches (most recent first):

Mumbai Indians: L-W-L-W-W

Royal Challengers Bangalore: L-W-W-L-W

What happened in the reverse fixture?

RCB won the match in a Super-Over thriller. Kohli had a slow start and attributed his Super Over success as the moment that turned his season around.

Deccan Herald’s Dream XI

Virat Kohli, Quinton de Kock, AB de Villiers, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Chris Morris, Krunal Pandya, Rahul Chahar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah

Team news

The hamstring injury should keep Rohit Sharma out indefinitely. It's unclear how long RCB's Navdeep Saini will be out due to a hand injury.

Ground conditions

The sky will be clear with the temperature around 27 degrees Celsius. The humidity will be about 69% with a gentle breeze.

Impact player for MI

Jasprit Bumrah: With 17 scalps, he has got the most wickets for his team at an average of 19.47. With James Pattinson back in the XI, expect Bumrah to bowl outside the powerplay.

Impact player for RCB

Virat Kohli: With 415 runs at an average of 59.28, the RCB captain is third on the list of leading run-scorers for the season. He will be hungry for more and will want to lead his side into the play-offs.

How to watch

The match will be broadcast live on Star Sports network. Viewers can also catch the action online on Disney+Hotstar. The match begins at 7.30 PM IST.

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(Published 28 October 2020, 02:03 IST)

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