MI v RCB, IPL 2021: Today match players list & umpires

After days of excitement overshadowed by uncertainty, IPL 2021 is finally underway as defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) take on the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Match 1 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday (April 9).

After losing 10 of the 12 tosses in the recently-concluded India-England series, Virat Kohli finally returned to winning ways as far as the flip of the coin is concerned. RCB will bowl first on a pitch that looks like a good batting surface but will also aid spin.

Even though Devdutt Padikkal tested negative for COVID-19, he has been left out of the opening game because of health reasons. Madhya Pradesh batsman Rajat Patidar has received his RCB cap and is likely to open the batting with captain Kohli. The duo will be followed by the big-money players in AB de Villiers, debutants Glenn Maxwell and Kyle Jamieson, finishing with the all-rounders and bowlers.

The Bengaluru-based franchise are heading into the season opener with three pacers and two spinners. Their four overseas players are Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers, Daniel Christian and Kyle Jamieson.

The Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, have been dealt a huge blow as regular opener Quinton de Kock has not yet completed his mandatory seven-day quarantine. The discrepancy hands Chris Lynn his MI debut, and the Aussie star will open the batting alongside skipper Rohit Sharma. Their entire middle-order is in red-hot form with Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, the Pandya brothers and Kieron Pollard all coming into the league on the back of successful international runs.

The five-time IPL champions are fielding one spinner and three speedsters - including debutant Marco Jansen - with Jasprit Bumrah leading the attack after having missed the white-ball leg against England. MI’s four overseas picks include Chris Lynn, Kieron Pollard, Trent Boult and Marco Jansen.

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RCB v MI – Today Match Playing 11

MI playing 11: Chris Lynn, Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Piyush Chawla, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Marco Jansen

MI squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, James Neesham, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Piyush Chawka, Dhawal Kulkarni, Saurabh Tiwary, Aditya Tare, Adam Milne, Chris Lynn, Jayant Yadav, Anmolpreet Singh, Quinton de Kock, Anukul Roy, Mohsin Khan, Arjun Tendulkar, Marco Jensen, Yudhvir Singh

RCB playing 11: Virat Kohli (c), Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers, Daniel Christian, Washington Sundar, Kyle Jamieson, Harshal Patel, Shahbaz Ahmed, Mohammad Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal

RCB squad: Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villiers, Devdutt Padikkal, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Daniel Christian, Washington Sundar, Kyle Jamieson, Navdeep Saini, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kane Richardson, Harshal Patel, Adam Zampa, Sachin Baby, Srikar Bharat, Pavan Deshpande, Rajat Patidar, Fin Allen, Suyash Prabhudessai, Shahbaz Ahmed

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MI v RCB – Today IPL Match Umpire

On-field umpires: KN Anantha Padmanabhan, Nitin Menon

3rd umpire: Chettihody Shamshuddin

Referee: Vengalil Narayan Kutty

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