Last Updated on 2 weeks by Charbel Coorey

RCB vs MI Dream11 Prediction & Fan2Play Possible 11 Pitch Report: IPL 2022 Match 18 | BLR vs MI Dream11 Prediction Today | Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Mumbai Indians Key Players | Pune Pitch Report

It’s not quite panic stations yet, but it’s getting pretty close to that stage for Mumbai Indians. The five-time champions are no strangers to losing their opening three matches (2008, 2014, 2015 and 2018), even coming back to win the title in 2015. However, this time around, the depth in bowling is not what they have been blessed with in the past.

Daniel Sams and Basil Thampi have largely struggled, while the usual dominant presence of Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard isn’t there. The form of Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma are positives, but MI need to hold up well with the ball against a Royal Challengers Bangalore side that has Wanindu Hasaranga listed down at eight or nine.

Also, RCB will welcome back newly wed Glenn Maxwell, who was magnificent in 2021. He alongside Dinesh Karthik, who played a magnificent knock last time out against Rajasthan Royals, could mean fireworks tonight in Pune, and RCB will be hoping for Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli to set a strong platform.

In an exclusive interview with CricBlog, Rassie van der Dussen pinpointed RCB as a key team to watch out for. If the batting clicks and the bowlers can make inroads into Mumbai’s top order, the hype around RCB this season will only grow stronger.

You can watch the full interview with Rassie van der Dussen here or below.

Possible Playing 11

Glenn Maxwell is available for RCB and should slot in the XI in place of Sherfane Rutherford. Also, RCB could look at giving Mahipal Lomror a chance to prove himself.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: 1. Faf du Plessis (c), 2. Anuj Rawat/Mahipal Lomror, 3. Virat Kohli, 4. Glenn Maxwell, 5. Dinesh Karthik (wk), 6. Shahbaz Ahmed, 7. David Willey, 8. Harshal Patel, 9. Wanindu Hasaranga, 10. Mohammed Siraj, 11. Akash Deep

There will likely be changes in the MI attack. Jaydev Unadkat is likely to get a game, possibly over Basil Thampi. Also, Fabian Allen could come in for the struggling Daniel Sams.

Mumbai Indians: 1. Rohit Sharma (c), 2. Ishan Kishan (wk), 3. Dewald Brevis, 4. Suryakumar Yadav, 5. Tilak Varma, 6. Kieron Pollard, 7. Fabian Allen, 8. Murugan Ashwin, 9. Tymal Mills, 10. Jasprit Bumrah, 11. Jaydev Unadkat/Basil Thampi

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

Royal Challengers Bangalore:

• Faf du Plessis has struck 58 off 34 balls against Jasprit Bumrah in T20s. This head-to-head record will be key in helping Faf improve his overall numbers vs MI, which read: 16 inns, 347 runs, avg. 23.13, SR 120.91.
• Virat Kohli has the most runs in RCB-MI matches (779) at an average of 28.85 and strike rate of 125.85. He scored 33 (29) and 51 (42) against them last season.
• Kohli strikes at 150 against Bumrah in the IPL (126 off 84 deliveries), with four dismissals. Also, how he approaches Murugan Ashwin (SR 116 vs wrist-spin in the IPL) will be interesting to see.
• Welcome back, Glenn Maxwell. He was player of the match in RCB’s last match vs MI back in September with 56 (37) and 2/23. Indeed, his off-spin could be crucial against MI’s left-handers.
• Dinesh Karthik has been absolutely brilliant in IPL 2022, with two matchwinning knocks in his last two matches. He has struck 90 runs without dismissal so far this season at a strike rate of 204.54. Also, he has taken 54 runs off 33 deliveries against Bumrah in the IPL without dismissal.
• Harshal Patel ripped through MI twice last season, taking an incredible nine wickets (5/27 and 4/17). He dismissed Ishan Kishan once and Kieron Pollard twice. This season, Harshal has taken four wickets at an economy rate of just 5.41.
• Can Wanindu Hasaranga rip through MI in the middle overs? He has taken five wickets in his past two matches, but how he fares against MI’s left-handers will be key.

Mumbai Indians:

• Rohit Sharma has been way off colour so far in IPL 2022. The MI skipper has scored just 54 runs in three matches at a strike rate of 110, so the key will be to play with more freedom today.
• Rohit has scored 544 runs in 20 innings vs RCB at an average of 30.00 and strike rate of 144.00.
• Ishan Kishan smashed a memorable 99 against RCB in 2020, but has scored just 83 runs in his remaining six innings against them. He struggled last match vs KKR (14 off 21), but is always dangerous as an opener in the IPL: 16 inns, 704 runs, avg. 58.67, SR 150.43).
• Suryakumar Yadav made a successful return to the team last match vs KKR (52 off 36 balls). He has steady-but-unspectacular numbers for MI against RCB: 9 inns, 218 runs, avg. 27.25, SR 144.37.
• If Suryakumar bats deep, watch out. He strikes at 156 between overs 12-16 and 213 in the death overs. Key player.
• Tilak Varma has been a positive for MI this season. He has struck 121 runs at an average of 60.50 and strike rate of 161.33. As a left-hander, he will be important in nullifying the threat of Wanindu Hasaranga, as Hasaranga has an excellent record vs right-handers.
• Murugan Ashwin has been another positive for MI. He has four wickets to his name this season at an economy rate of just 7.75. Faf du Plessis (114), Virat Kohli (116) and Dinesh Karthik (110) all have low strike rates against wrist-spin in the IPL.
• While some of the RCB players today have good head-to-head records vs Jasprit Bumrah (as mentioned above), the class of the man can never be counted out. He has a superb record vs Glenn Maxwell (seven dismissals in 65 balls, 75 runs conceded). Also, he has taken 24 wickets in 17 matches vs RCB at an average of 20.83 and economy rate of 7.58.

Other Stats and Facts

• Head-to-head: Matches 31, MI 19, RCB 12.
• RCB have won three of the past four matches between the teams, including both times last season.
• MI could look to emply Fabian Allen to keep Glenn Maxwell quiet. Maxwell averages 42 against left-arm orthodox, but strikes at just 119.
• Mumbai have lost just three wickets in the powerplay so far this season. This is where Mohammed Siraj (eight wickets in seven matches vs MI) is usually strongest, so it will be interesting to see if he can break that trend.
• Rohit Sharma strikes at 128 vs off-spin in the IPL (avg. 25), so RCB could look to use Glenn Maxwell in the powerplay.
• Kieron Pollard has strong numbers vs RCB: 26 inns, 553 runs, avg. 32.53, SR 158.91.
• David Willey has a strike rate of 134.40 vs wristspinners in T20s. RCB could look to use him as a floater.
• RCB (13.32) and MI (12.94) have the worst death-overs economy rate in IPL 2022.

Pune Pitch Report and Weather

The team batting first has won two of three matches so far at Pune. The average first innings score is 180.67, and even in the last game on this ground, MI were in control against KKR before Pat Cummins let loose and scored an incredible 56 off 15 balls to seal the chase of 162 with four overs to spare.

Another very hot evening is forecast in Pune, with a chance of dew.

Dream11 Prediction

Note: The below teams are not based on the final playing XIs. We may not be able to update these in time. Use the stats and commentary in this article as well as your own instincts to create your teams.

Option 1:

Option 2:

Fan2Play Prediction

Base team:

• Wicket-keepers: Ishan Kishan
• Batsmen: Faf du Plessis, Suryakumar Yadav
• All-rounders: Wanindu Hasaranga, Glenn Maxwell
• Bowlers: Harshal Patel, Tymal Mills

Match Prediction

RCB look good for a win in this game. They look more confident and well-rounded.