IPL 2021: MI vs RCB - Kohli Back As Opener, Hardik May Bat At Number 4 - Predicted XIs For Tournament Opener

Five-time IPL champions, Mumbai Indians will clash with Royal Challengers Bangalore in the opening fixture of the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) which gets underway in Chennai from later today. The second wave of Covid-19 is raging across India and the quarantine and bio-bubble protocols imply that not everyone will be available for the mega contest in both the units. We look at the best possible and likely XIs for the two teams under the current circumstances and situation.

IPL 2021 Full Coverage

Mumbai Indians

Quinton De Kock will not be available for the match as he is still undergoing the mandatory seven-day quarantine post his arrival from South Africa. This implies that Ishan Kishan will get an opportunity to open the innings with skipper Rohit Sharma. Kishan was in devastating form in the previous edition and tasted success at various positions in the top-order including as opener. He will go for the bowling allowing Rohit to settle in and build his innings – which is the latter’s style in limited overs cricket.

Mr Consistent, Suryakumar Yadav will bat at number three – he is MI’s highest run getter (combined) in the last three seasons. Hardik Pandya may get a chance to bat up the order at number 4 and push the run-rate in the middle overs. He would look to counter the leg break of Yuzvendra Chahal in that phase of play. Kieron Pollard would be the X-Factor in the lower order while James Neesham and Krunal Pandya complete the long list of all-rounders.

Rohit has been very expressive on the role he sees veteran leg spinner Piyush Chawla play for MI in IPL 2021 but it is highly unlikely they would start with their new recruit in place of Rahul Chahar. The latter has been a consistent performer for the franchise over the years and should get the nod over Chawla. With the wicket expected to aid spin, Jayant Yadav could be drafted into the XI to add variety to the attack. Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult – who bagged 52 wickets between them last season – would be the star fast bowlers for MI in the XI. While Boult will look to take wickets with the new ball, Bumrah will be Rohit’s trump card at the death.

IPL 2021 Schedule

So, this is MI’s Possible XI for today:

1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Ishan Kishan, 3 Suryakumar Yadav, 4 Hardik Pandya, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 James Neesham, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 Jayant Yadav, 9 Rahul Chahar, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Jasprit Bumrah

Royal Challengers Bangalore

The biggest news from the RCB camp would be the return of Virat Kohli back at the top of the order. The RCB captain had opened consistently in the 2016 season and created a record for the most runs in a single season in the history of the IPL – Kohli amassed 973 runs including 4 hundreds in that edition.

Devdutt Padikkal will be back in the set-up after recovering from Covid-19 and will form a formidable pair with his skipper at the top of the order. The left-hander outscored both Kohli and AB last season and was in breathtaking form in the 2021 Vijay Hazare Trophy.

AB de Villiers may bat as high as number three – the rationale being the two best batsmen in the RCB XI should face the maximum deliveries as possible. Glenn Maxwell may come in at 4 or 5 and will look to make amends for a terrible season last year with Punjab Kings. Hard-hitting wicket-keeper batsman from Kerala, Mohammed Azharuddeen will provide the impetus in the lower-order along with Daniel Christian and Washington Sundar. The off spinner could bat higher in the order depending on the situation in the match.

IPL 2021 Points Tally

All eyes will be on New Zealand’s fast bowling all-rounder, Kyle Jamieson who was purchased for a sum of INR 15 crore by RCB at the mini-auctions in February. Navdeep Saini and the impressive Mohammed Siraj make for a potent fast bowling unit. Yuzvendra Chahal – Kohli’s trump card with the ball in the middle overs, the leading wicket-taker amongst spinners last season – will be pivotal to the team’s success this year too. The leg break bowler is not only restrictive but also picks crucial wickets between overs 8 and 15 of the innings.

This is how the RCB starting XI should look like for today’s encounter:

1 Virat Kohli, 2 Devdutt Padikkal, 3 AB de Villiers, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Mohammed Azharuddeen (wk), 6 Daniel Christian, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Kyle Jamieson, 9 Navdeep Saini, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal.

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• AB de Villiers
• Hardik Pandya
• ipl
• IPL 2021
• jasprit bumrah
• MI
• Mumbai Indians
• RCB
• rohit sharma
• Royal Challengers Bangalore
• Virat Kohli