RCB's Virat Kohli and MI's Jasprit Bumrah are set for a pivotal showdown at Wankhede. With both teams aiming to recover from losses, the battle between Kohli's batting and Bumrah's bowling, a historically even contest, will be the main highlight.
Two of the world's best cricketers, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) superstar batter Virat Kohli and Mumbai Indians (MI) pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, would be locking horns against each other once again during the marquee Indian Premier League (IPL) clash between the defending champions and five-time champions at Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.
MI and RCB, both wounded by some brutal hitting from Rajasthan Royals (RR) star, the 15-year-old sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi, would be aiming to put on a cracker of a contest for fans at Wankhede. But only one of these two teams would be able to bounce back and earn a win. Virat and Rohit will be the focus of this marquee clash due to their long-standing rivalry.
The Marquee Matchup: Kohli vs Bumrah
In 101 balls, Virat has scored 150 runs against Bumrah at a strike rate of 148.51, smashing him for 15 fours and six sixes. But in turn, Bumrah has also dismissed him five times in 17 innings. Virat averages 30 against Bumrah, which makes this match-up a pretty even one.
Kohli's Formidable Wankhede Record
The 37-year-old batting superstar also holds a fine record in T20s at Wankhede Stadium, with 838 runs in 22 innings at an average of 55.86 and a strike rate of 149.64, with eight fifties to his name.
Bumrah's Quest to End Wicketless Streak
Bumrah would be more vulnerable than ever against Virat, having not picked a wicket in his last four IPL games, dating back to the second qualifier last season. It has been 98 balls since he last picked a wicket in the IPL, the second longest wicketless sequence for him in the tournament.
Squads
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Squad: Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, Josh Hazlewood, Venkatesh Iyer, Suyash Sharma, Jacob Bethell, Rasikh Salam Dar, Kanishk Chouhan, Jacob Duffy, Mangesh Yadav, Swapnil Singh, Jordan Cox, Vicky Ostwal, Vihaan Malhotra, Satvik Deswal
Mumbai Indians Squad: Ryan Rickelton(w), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Naman Dhir, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, AM Ghazanfar, Jasprit Bumrah, Sherfane Rutherford, Corbin Bosch, Robin Minz, Raj Bawa, Ashwani Kumar, Mitchell Santner, Mayank Markande, Quinton de Kock, Will Jacks, Mayank Rawat, Raghu Sharma, Atharva Ankolekar, Danish Malewar, Mohammed Salahuddin Izhar. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)