Virat Kohli vs Jasprit Bumrah -- cricket fans can expect a mouth-watering treat tonight when Mumbai Indians play hosts to Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Mumbai's iconic Wankhede Stadium. Match 25 of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) starts 7:30pm local time with coverage available in almost all major regional languages. Check here for the live streaming details. (Match Preview | Full IPL Coverage)
Mumbai Indians, the joint most successful team in IPL, started the 2024 campaign sluggishly, losing the first three matches under a new regime led by star all-rounder Hardik Pandya. One of the reasons was a lacklustre showing from their pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.
The right-arm fast bowler has so far claimed four wickets in four outings and two of those scalps were against Delhi Capitals, in Mumbai Indians last match. Yes, they won the match. On Thursday, the 30-year-old will be eager to prove the doubters wrong. But he will have a stern test against Virat Kohli, the all-time leading scorer in the IPL.
Kohli continues to rock the charts. The 35-year-old has so far scored 316 runs in five innings at an average of 105.33 with a strike rate of 146.30 -- stats that invariably say that the former Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain is scoring 100 runs every time he comes out to bat this season. Of course, statistics don't always tell the facts. But again, it's a numbers game and Kohli has churned out plenty.
It's indeed a rarity to see two of India's finest go head-to-head. But tonight, there will be a clash between Virat Kohli's batting class and Jasprit Bumrah's bowling ingenuity.
Kohli is the leading scorer in the Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru fixtures with 852 runs in 31 innings; and Bumrah, the leading wicket-taker with 24 scalps, in 18 innings.
For the record, this particular MI vs RCB match will mark the 13th year of Rohit Sharma's association with Mumbai Indians, as a player. The former captain is also due for a big knock. Expect fireworks to light up the Mumbai sky tonight.
Likely playing XIs
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Tim David, Hardik Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Mohammad Nabi, Gerald Coetzee, Piyush Chawla, Jasprit Bumrah.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Cameron Green, Glenn Maxwell, Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik, Mahipal Lomror, Mayank Dagar, Reece Topley, Mohammed Siraj.
