Indian Premier League - Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore

Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians top orders have hit the ground running in this year’s Indian Premier League making this match up a potential run-fest.

Mumbai’s two matches thus far have produced 200-plus scores with the workload shared between the top and middle order while Bangalore has also managed a 200-plus-run score in one of their three matches.

Indian Premier League Odds

Saturday, March 20, (10am EST) 8pm Mumbai local time

Mumbai Indians -150
Royal Challengers Bangalore +120

The thing about Mumbai’s effort has been the class of bowlers they have scored against, arguably the competition’s most awkward and economical opening bowlers in Delhi’s Dirk Nannes and the world’s fastest bowler in Aussie Shaun Tait.

Bangalore’s bowlers will have a nervous sleep ahead of this clash, hat-trick hero from their last match Praveen Kumar and Proteas Dale Steyn will need to contain the opening pair of Sanath Jayasuria and Sachin Tendulkar.

Steyn in particular has had a rough start to this tournament managing to take just one wicket in three outings, his 12 accumulated overs going for 92 at an economy rate of 7.66 an over.

Kumar’s 3/18 against Rajasthan elevated him to become his side’s leading wicket taker and his economy rate and average of 15.40 making him one of the competition’s leading bowlers.

They will need to be use their entire arsenal to prevent crowd favourite Tendulkar from repeating the 63 off 32 balls in his last outing against Delhi.

Jayasuria is overdue for a big score innings of 23 and seven no indication of how talented and dangerous the veteran can be however his form in international cricket has been called into question and his form thus far may be indicative of a batsman past his prime.

The real revelations for Mumbai thus far has been the early form of 20-year-old Saurabh Tiwary and Ambati Rayudu in the middle order.

The pair combined in the first match against Rajasthan for a 110-run partnership, Tiwary (53) and Rayudu (55) steadying the Mumbai ship with some careful and considered batting along with some lusty hits.

Tiwary scored his second consecutive half-century notching 61 off 37 balls against Delhi while Rayudu smashed three sixes in his contribution of 34 off 21 balls.

The big danger for any team now coming up against Mumbai is the automatic inclusion of West Indies super stars Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo.

The pair missed the first match due to national commitments and played the night of their arrival so they can be forgiven for not contributing too much with the bat thanks to a healthy case of jet lag.

They did produce with the ball though, Bravo’s 2/11 off two overs and Pollard’s 1/24 off four overs helped dismiss Delhi for 120.

Mumbai has the luxury of being able to call on Harbhajan Singh and Lasith Malinga in their bowling ranks another reason, which should see them over the line against Bangalore.

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