IPL 2021: MI vs RCB Match 1 Predicted Playing XI for both the Teams

IPL 2021 MI vs RCB: Royal Challengers Bangalore take on Mumbai Indians as we look at the preview, predicted playing 11 and key players.

Amidst all the positive cases going on in the tournament, the IPL 2021 would go as planned with the Biosecure bubble being activated, and strict protocols being followed. The IPL 2021 is set to kick off from April 9 with two high-profile teams, Mumbai Indians and RCB meeting each other at Chennai. 

Mumbai Indians are pursuing their sixth IPL trophy overall and third successive trophy. They have the strongest team on paper, and have their bases covered from all aspects. Meanwhile, the “ee sala cup namde” fame, RCB would once again rely on their star-power more as they have a few gaps in their team. However, if Virat can extract the best out of the inexperienced ones, they can go a long way. 

Coming to the team news, the first-choice player of Mumbai Indians, Quinton de Kock shall miss the opening match of the tournament. QDK is currently under quarantine, and is most-likely to miss the opening match. Meanwhile, Devdutt Padikkal has joined the squad, but whether he plays shall only be decided on the match day. 

Talking about the pitch, Chennai is usually a slow-and-low pitch suited more for spinners. Hence, we should see Mumbai Indians and RCB playing at least 3 spinners in the squad. For MI, Rahul Chahar and Krunal Pandya shall be the leading spinners, and for RCB, Yuzi Chahal and W Sundar shall lead the spin duties along with Glenn Maxwell. 

So, looking at the players’ availability and pitch conditions, what could be the predicted playing 11 for Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore for IPL 2021 Match 1 of MI vs RCB? Let’s find out in this article.          

IPL 2021 MI vs RCB: Predicted Playing XI for Mumbai Indians:

The biggest news for Mumbai Indians would be the absence of Quinton de Kock, who is currently undergoing Quarantine following his arrival for IPL 2021. In his absence, Mumbai Indians would be itching to play the aggressive, Chris Lynn at the top alongside Rohit Sharma. 

Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard, and Hardik Pollard shall once again steer the middle-order duties for Mumbai Indians. They were fantastic in IPL 2020, and MI would be hoping for a similar performance from them in 2021 too. 

Coming to the Spin department, we should see Mumbai Indians attacking with a 3-spin attack led by Rahul Chahar, Jayant Yadav, and Krunal Pandya It is a perfect combination of a leggie, off-spin and left-arm spin. Their new recruit, Piyush Chawla should have played too, but he doesn’t bring any more variety to the table, hence should be left out. 

The remaining two spots should see the attacking pace duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult. These two were the leading wicket-takers last year, and even though they may not play a major role in Chennai, they would be very important as the tournament progresses. 

IPL 2021 MI vs RCB: Predicted Playing 11 for Mumbai Indians:

Rohit Sharma (C), Chris Lynn, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan (WK), Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Rahul Chahar, Jayant Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah & Trent Boult.

IPL 2021 MI vs RCB: Predicted Playing XI for RCB:

The RCB unit should see a few new names in the squad as compared to their 2020 team that qualified for the play-offs. While 7 of them should be the same as they were in 2020, there are 4 new names who would be in the playing 11. The likes of which include Glenn Maxwell, Kyle Jamieson, Dan Christian, and Mohammed Azharuddeen. 

It is yet to be seen if Devdutt Padikkal plays the opening match as he recently tested negative after being tested position on March 22. While Padikkal has joined the RCB camp, his playing 11 selection can only be decided on the D-day. In case Padikkal doesn’t play, all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed might get a game in the lower-order, and Mohd. Azharuddeen should play as an opener. 

Meanwhile, Virat Kohli is confirmed to open the innings. Whereas Ab de Villiers and Glenn Maxwell should make the middle-order strong this time around. However, RCB’s woes are once again the lower-order, which still looks thin on paper. The bowling, however, is strong with Sundar, Chahal, Siraj, Saini, and Jamieson leading the attack.

IPL 2021 MI vs RCB: Predicted Playing 11 for Royal Challengers Bangalore:

Virat Kohli (C), Devdutt Padikkal, AB de Villiers, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammed Azharuddeen (WK), Daniel Christian, Washington Sundar, Kyle Jamieson, Navdeep Saini, Mohammed Siraj & Yuzvendra Chahal. 

Top Fantasy Players to Pick: 

Batsmen: Suryakumar Yadav, Virat Kohli, and AB de Villiers 

All-rounders: Krunal Pandya and Washington Sundar 

Bowlers: Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Chahar, and Jasprit Bumrah 

CVC Choice: Yuzvendra Chahal and Krunal Pandya 

Thanks for reading! What’s your predicted playing 11 Match 1 MI vs RCB of IPL 2021? Please email your thoughts to business@cricalytics.com

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