After going unbeaten in Chennai-leg, Bangalore will now face Rajasthan in their first game at Wankhede. Rajasthan suffered two defeats in their first three games so far.
Match Timings: April 22, 7:30 PM IST
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Bangalore and Rajasthan will fight out tonight in Indian T20 League 2021. Bangalore’s start to the season has been pretty convincing with three straight victories on a challenging track like Chennai. They managed to pull off a chase in the first game and in the next two games, they defended smartly. In the last game, ABD-Maxwell show defined how Bangalore relies on these two powerhouses if Kohli fails with the bat. ABD’s acceleration and Maxwell’s steadiness in middle-order keep Bangalore in the game. They lost two wickets quickly but still, they got 200 plus total in Chennai last time.
Things are pretty high for Virat Kohli as his side is sitting at the top of the table and if they win tonight, they can at least think safe about the playoffs. Ideally, 7 wins assure the playoffs qualifications and they already have three wins from the first three games. Harshal Patel has been terrific in death and he solved the death-bowling issue. The surface will be ideal for Bangalore’s batting but bowling might face issues in Wankhede. On flat tracks, we have seen issues with Bangalore’s bowling in past. Siraj and Jamieson’s opening spells will be crucial here.
Meanwhile, Rajasthan’s going through a similar story, they are seeing from the last three years. They played some good cricket in the first two games but failed to replicate it against Chennai. Chasing 189 in Mumbai wasn’t a tough task but Rajasthan even struggled against the spin. They lost their 5 wickets out of nine against the spinners in Wankhede which is a serious concern. Manan Vohra might be replaced now and Anuj Rawat could get the game. Buttler and Samson have to take the responsibility in top-order if Rajasthan looks for a better finish. Bowling has been slightly improved now but T20 requires a balance between bat and ball. Rajasthan has to figure out their issues and find a solution as soon as possible.
Changes in the squad is unlikely to happen except for Vohra in the opening slot. Shivam Dube is also delivering his best and he is not the first choice batsman at number four. Miller should be tried there. They lack the depth in middle-order and Samson should look for another good option from the bench. If the toss goes in their favour, they can trouble Bangalore but everything is dependent on their top-order because Kohli’s side is coming off three successive victories.
Pitch Report
Mumbai’s track is slightly changed now after so many games. It offers good assistance to bowlers as well but ideally, it’s a batting track. Spinners can trouble in middle-overs if we find less dew there.
Possible XI
Bangalore
Virat Kohli (c), Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers (wk), Washington Sundar, Daniel Sams/Daniel Christian, Kyle Jamieson, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal
Rajasthan
Jos Buttler, Manan Vohra/Anuj Rawat, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Shivam Dube, David Miller, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Chris Morris, Jaydev Unadkat, Chetan Sakariya, Mustafizur Rahman
Key Players
Bangalore
Glenn Maxwell
176 runs in 3 innings, having top-form
ABD
125 runs in 3 innings at an SR of 189.39, Mumbai’s track suits his style
Rajasthan
Jos Buttler
Had good numbers in Mumbai and a potential hard-hitter
Chetan Sakariya
Effective in seaming conditions, 6 wickets so far at an avg of 16.67
