RCB captain Rajat Patidar won the toss and opted to field against MI in Raipur. RCB sits 4th after recent losses, while MI is 9th and needs a win to stay in the playoff race. Both teams are playing with an unchanged squad.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) skipper Rajat Patidar won the toss and has opted to field in their Indian Premier League (IPL) clash against the Mumbai Indians at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur on Sunday.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru head into this clash at a crucial juncture in their campaign. Consecutive defeats to the Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants have seen them slip to fourth place in the points table, though they remain firmly in contention for a playoff spot. Meanwhile, the Mumbai Indians enter the contest high on confidence after a commanding victory over Lucknow Super Giants, successfully chasing down a daunting target of 229. MI are in a much more desperate situation, sitting 9th on the table. This is a must-win game for them to stay relevant in the tournament.
What the captains said
"We will bowl first. Pretty obvious, the surface is good and hard. We will try to restrict them and go on the chase. Conditions are not unfamiliar, to be honest. Good supporters and great outfield, I would say, and everyone is looking forward to the game. We are going with the same team. Yes, we had a couple of losses, but we want to focus on ourselves rather than the opposition," Patidar said during the toss.
"We are pretty confident to bat first. Big ground, black soil wicket and runs on the board will always be pressure on the other team. We are going with the same team. We have always had a good chat around the bowling. It's harsh on the bowlers. We keep trying to improve and get better each day," MI captain Suryakumar Yadav said.
Teams
Teams: Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton(w), Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Will Jacks, Raj Bawa, Corbin Bosch, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, AM Ghazanfar. Mumbai Indians Impact Subs: Trent Boult, Raghu Sharma, Mayank Rawat, Robin Minz, Shardul Thakur.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Virat Kohli, Jacob Bethell, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam Dar. Royal Challengers Bengaluru Impact Subs: Devdutt Padikkal, Jordan Cox, Mangesh Yadav, Swapnil Singh, Venkatesh Iyer. (ANI)
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