IPL 2022, RCB vs MI: 3 player battles to watch out for

Mumbai Indians (MI) are still winless in IPL 2022 and will hope to get off the mark when they take on the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Saturday (April 9).

The Challengers will head into the game on the back of two consecutive wins and will be eager to extend their winning momentum. With Australian star Glenn Maxwell all set to feature against MI, the pressure will be considerably less on Virat Kohli and Dinesh Karthik.

For Mumbai, Suryakumar Yadav's return from injury saw him notch up a breezy fifty against the Kolkata Knight Riders. It will bode well for MI, who haven't seen much from the likes of Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard this season.

Ahead of Saturday's key clash, we take a look at the player battles to watch out for:

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#1 Rohit Sharma vs David Willey

Rohit Sharma's weakness against left-arm seamers is a known fact and RCB will be hoping for David Willey to deliver in the first few overs and send the MI skipper back to the hut.

The English bowling all-rounder has just one wicket to show for his efforts in IPL 2022. But today could be the day where his nippy pace might help Bangalore win their third game on the bounce.

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#2 Jasprit Bumrah vs Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik has enjoyed a certain level of dominance against Mumbai's best bowlers over the years. The veteran keeper-batter is yet to be dismissed by Jasprit Bumrah and boasts a strike rate of 163.63 against the quick.

While Karthik has been instrumental for Bangalore as a finisher with scores of 32*, 14* and 44*, Bumrah has not been at his best in IPL 20222, managing just three wickets.

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#3 Harshal Patel vs Kieron Pollard

Harshal Patel's extended dominance for RCB has been distinctly seen over the last two games as he returned with figures of 2/11 and 1/18. But today, he could be up against Kieron Pollard, who continues to display that his brute hitting can change the outcome of the game at any point.

It will be interesting to see how Patel fares against Pollard, who plays mind games with the bowlers who try and bowl away from him. Can Harshal Patel get the better of Mumbai's hard-hitting batter? We have to wait and watch.