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Interestingly, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have won four of their last five Indian Premier League (IPL) clashes against the Mumbai Indians (MI). In a rivalry as high-profile as this one, with MI being the obviously more successful team in the league, it's a rather curious statistic.
RCB will need every bit of that positive history when they face the five-time champions at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday, April 11. Their start to IPL 2024 has been nothing short of woeful, and they could find themselves virtually out of playoff contention if they drop two more points.
The same can be said about MI, who aren't far ahead of RCB on the IPL 2024 points table. Hardik Pandya and company got off the mark in their last game against the Delhi Capitals (DC), but that remains their only win of the campaign so far. They are level on points with Bengaluru with one game in hand, and a loss could sound the death knell for them too.
Can RCB get back to winning ways in IPL 2024? Or will MI give their home crowd something to cheer about once again?
IPL 2024, MI vs RCB Win Probability: Hardik Pandya and Co. start as favorites
MI are the clear favorites for this contest, even though they have only one win to their name in four matches. That's how bad RCB have been in IPL 2024, with muddled selection decisions and out-of-form players hampering their progress.
Defending totals is virtually impossible for Bengaluru, who have clear shortcomings in the bowling department. Their only hope of a win against MI will be to win the toss, elect to chase, and hope that the batting unit shrugs off its poor form to deliver the goods.
Ideally, Mumbai should be able to win this at a canter. They have enough firepower in the middle order following Romario Shepherd's addition, and although their spin bowlers have underwhelmed, Jasprit Bumrah has stepped up to make up for their lack of contributions.
At the end of the day, RCB do have world-class players in their midst, and many of them are due. The likes of Glenn Maxwell won't be kept out of the runs for long, especially at batting-friendly surfaces like the Wankhede.
However, with players like Suryakumar Yadav in the same situation on the other side, it's hard to look past MI. Hardik and company will be devastated if they don't come away with two points on Thursday. If RCB chase, though, they could have an outside chance of an upset.
Prediction: MI to win Match 25 of IPL 2024.
