🏏IPL 2025 ~ 20th Match MI vs RCB at Wankhede @7.30 PM🏏 - Page 2

In the spotlight: Tilak Varma and Tim David

Tilak Varma has made a sedate start to IPL 2025. After a breakthrough international season that featured two T20I centuries for India, he has struggled for fluency in the IPL. He began the season with a 36-ball 39 against Gujarat Titans, and scored 25 off 23 against LSG before being retired out as MI's required rate spiralled out of control. Tilak returns to the Wankhede now, but it hasn't been a happy hunting ground for him in T20s: he has a highest score of 38 in 15 innings here, and his strike rate of 124.07 is his lowest at any ground where he has batted at least five times.

Among the away players who could feel at home in Mumbai on Monday is Tim David, who made his name as a lower-order hitter for MI from 2022 to 2024. Since 2022, only Dinesh Karthik (208.33) and Suryakumar (197.09) have better IPL strike rates than David (188.95) at the Wankhede (minimum five innings). "Coming back to play in Mumbai, it's a wonderful place to play at the Wankhede," David said ahead of the game against MI. "[I] love batting here. It's a nice place to have as your home ground. It's not my home ground anymore. Hopefully I get a chance to do some damage out there in the middle tomorrow night."

Pitch and conditions

The weather in Mumbai has been hot with high humidity levels. The temperature is expected to hover around the early 30s on Monday evening. Despite the ground's relatively small dimensions, there have only been four 200-plus IPL totals at the Wankhede since 2024, two of them coming in the same game. Teams batting first have won four of the last eight matches here, but captains have preferred to chase, with the threat of dew in mind. The team winning the toss has bowled first in every IPL match here since 2024.

Stats and trivia

• Rohit Sharma has been dismissed 21 times inside the powerplay in 33 IPL innings since the start of 2023. He averages 24.95 in this phase in this time - only Wriddhiman Saha (20.85) has done worse among the 11 batters who have batted at least 25 times in the first six overs.
• Since the start of 2023, no one has scored more runs in IPL chases than Suryakumar Yadav (809). Among batters with at least 10 innings in chases, only Nicholas Pooran and Abhishek Sharma have better strike rates than Suryakumar (184.28).
• Tim David (31) has hit the most sixes in the death overs (17th to 20th) in the last three seasons of the IPL, ahead of MS Dhoni (27) and Rinku Singh (26).
• Bhuvneshwar Kumar needs one wicket to become the third-highest wicket-taker in the IPL. He is currently on par with R Ashwin and Dwayne Bravo on 183 wickets, behind Piyush Chawla (192) and Yuzvendra Chahal (206).

Thanks for the tag Parm.

May the best team win.

Cheers..

MI vs RCB Probable Best Performers

Probable Best Batter: Phil Salt

Phil Salt missed out in the last game after playing two blistering knocks to start his IPL 2025 campaign. He smashed a 31-ball 56 against his former side Kolkata Knight Riders. In the following game against Chennai Super Kings, Salt played an important cameo of 32 off 16 balls. It would be a nice challenge for him to face Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar on a pitch where the new ball generally swings around for the first few overs. If he wins this mini-battle against the veteran MI seamers, RCB could be set for a big score.

Probable Best Bowler: Trent Boult

Trent Boult will hold the key for MI with the new ball. He can swing the ball both ways at pace and would be eager to make early inroads on Monday. His duel with Virat Kohli will be intriguing to watch. Hardik would hope for Boult to set the tone inside the powerplay.

Today's Match Prediction: Team bowling first to win the match

Scenario 1

• Mumbai Indians win the toss and bowl
• PP Score - 60-70
• RCB- 210-220
• Mumbai Indians win the match

Scenario 2

• Royal Challengers Bengaluru win the toss and bowl
• PP score - 55-65
• MI- 190-200
• Royal Challengers Bengaluru win the match

Thank you Parm for the match thread and for tagging me.

Best wishes to both teams.

Thanks Parm for the tag and thread! Looking forward to the match..