Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan believes that while defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru are in good form going into the Indian Premier League (IPL), five-time champions Mumbai Indians are “slightly ahead” when you compare players one-on-one.
All eyes will be on the big clash between Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli when Mumbai Indians take on RCB at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday. In their last five meetings, RCB have done better, winning three and losing two. Still, MI have a strong lineup that includes Rohit, Ryan Rickelton, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult.
Speaking on JioHotstar’s ‘Match Centre Live’, Pathan said that death-over bowling and the toss could decide the match.
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"RCB are travelling now. When they played their first two games at home, they won comfortably, but the moment they went on the road, they lost in Guwahati against the Rajasthan Royals. So, there will be a few questions in the camp. I feel the game might be decided by which team bowls better in the end overs, and the toss will be an important factor too. RCB have the form, but in a man-to-man comparison, I feel Mumbai are slightly ahead," said Pathan.
Rohit and Virat's IPL records
Rohit and Virat remain two of India’s biggest stars in ODI cricket. Since stepping away from Tests and T20Is, their fans on social media seem a lot calmer, choosing to enjoy the final phase of their careers and celebrate every run and appearance. But when it comes to an IPL clash like this, fans will once again strongly support their favourites, just like always.
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Looking at past records in RCB vs MI matches, Kohli has performed better. He has scored 922 runs in 34 matches at an average of 31.79 and a strike rate of 128.77, including six fifties. Rohit, who has also played against RCB since his time with Deccan Chargers, has made 629 runs in 26 matches at an average of 27.34 and a strike rate of over 142, with four fifties and a highest score of 94.
Batters who have scored at least 50 runs with a strike rate above 200
In the current IPL season, eight batters have scored at least 50 runs with a strike rate above 200. Three of them are from RCB, captain Rajat Patidar, Devdutt Padikkal and Tim David. MI do not have any player on that list, with Rohit being their top scorer so far.
However, MI’s bowling has been a concern this season. Shardul Thakur, Allah Ghazanfar, Mayank Markande and Boult all have economy rates of 12 or more after playing at least two matches. Markande and Boult are yet to pick up a wicket. Despite recent results, overall records favour Mumbai Indians, who have won 21 matches against RCB and lost 14.