Royal Challengers Bangalore, after three consecutive defeats in the last three matches, will take on Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, April 11. Both teams will meet only once this season.
RCB lost their previous three games against KKR, LSG and Rajasthan Royals. Their previous defeat against The Royals came despite Virat Kohli scoring his eighth IPL ton.
However, the defeat highlighted the weaknesses within the RCB team. There is an over-reliance on Virat Kohli with the bat. Players like Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green have not produced runs with the bat. Maxwell has two ducks in the first five games.
Bowling-wise, the team lacks depth and options. The franchise has used Alzarri Joseph as its overseas specialist pacer. The measure has not worked so far. They traded Reece Topley. However, he too has not been able to take wickets in the powerplay.
Lockie Ferguson and Will Jacks, the England all-rounder and New Zealand pacer, are still waiting in the wings and waiting for their chance. It will be interesting to see if they have a chance in the next game.
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Lack of spinners is another key concern in this RCB squad. In the past they had people like Yuzvendra Chahal and Wanindu Hasaranga whom they released. They have kept their most experienced player Karn Sharma on the bench. They gave a chance to open spinner Himanshu Sharma, who bowled just two overs.
RCB Playing 11 vs Mumbai Indians – IPL 2024, match 25
Virat Kohli
Kohli will open the batting for RCB. He is the top scorer of the innings so far with 316 runs in five games at an average of 105. He just scored a century against RR, which was his eighth so far in the IPL.
Faf du Plessis (C)
The captain has had problems with the bat. He hasn’t looked like the fluid hitter he usually is. He has scored 109 runs at an average of 21.80 in five matches so far. Faf will be a constant for RCB Playing 11.
Cameron Green / Will Jacks
RCB may try to bring in English all-rounder Will Jacks in place of Cameron Green. He has played in T20 leagues and has a reputation of being a good all-rounder. Jacks has played 11 T20Is for England.
Glenn Maxwell
Maxwell can fit all four. So far this season, he has scored two ducks. He has scored 32 runs this season and has taken four wickets. He was not used with the ball in the last game.
Rajat Patidar
Patidar has improved the order but has not given up any runs. It can be used differently if given permission to go further down the order.
Dinesh Karthik (WK)
Karthik can fit in at six. He has made some lovely cameos for the team. So far this season, he has scored 90 runs at a strike rate of 173.08 at an average of 45. Dinesh Karthik could also be used as a solo batsman in the RCB Playing 11 vs Mumbai Indians.
Anuj Rawat
Rawat can slot in at number seven and play the finisher’s role for RCB. He has scored 73 runs so far with a best of 48. The left-hander needs to make the most of the opportunities he gets with RCB.
Mohammed Siraj
Siraj will be the Indian leader in the XI. He has taken just four wickets in five games and has been losing runs at an economy of 10.11. The Indian pacer needs to improve his numbers for RCB. Mohammed Siraj has to make an impact in RCB Playing 11 this year.
Mayank Dagar
Darag can be one of the two playable spinners in the XI. Against RR, he was expensive bowling two overs for just 32 runs. He has been economical overall, but hasn’t gotten much ground.
Karan Sharma
Karn Sharma, the leggie must be included in the XI. He is an option for RCB but has been underutilized in the tournament so far. He picked up 10 wickets for RCB last year and has only played one game so far.
Lockie Ferguson
RCB may include Lockie Ferguson in place of Reece Topley and Alzarri Joseph for the match against Mumbai Indians. His pace can work in his favor at the Wankhede Stadium. He has played for KKR and GT in the past.
Sub-Yash Dayal Impact
RCB has used Dayal as Impact Sub in all the five matches they have played so far. He has picked up five wickets in five matches at an economy rate of 8.32. Yash Dayal could be used as an impact player in RCB Playing 11.
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