Venue: Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium, Pune
Time: 7:30 PM IST
Average score at venue (1st inns): 181
Win percentage while batting first: 66.67%
Pitch conditions:
- Teams should look to put a big score on board since the surface at the MCA Stadium in Pune does not change much and remains favourable for batsmen.
- It could be a high-scoring match between Bangalore and Mumbai since both the teams have long batting line-ups and want to make a difference with their available resources.
- Fast bowlers have so far taken 77.78% of the wickets here whereas the spinners have got only 22.22% of the dismissals.
Weather prediction:
It will be a partly cloudy day in Pune where the temperature will be at a high of 38ºC in the afternoon, post which it will drop down to as low as 29ºC around the time the contest ends on Saturday night. The humidity levels will rise sharply from 50% at the start of the game to around 68% by the end of it.
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD (overall):
Matches played: 29
Bangalore won: 12
Mumbai won: 17
No result: -
Top 3 players from Bangalore: Dinesh Karthik, Harshal Patel, Shahbaz Ahmed
Top 3 players from Mumbai: Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma
Top picks for H2H/WTA contest (top 5 players each):
Top 5 players from Bangalore: Dinesh Karthik, Harshal Patel, Shahbaz Ahmed, Faf du Plessis, Wanindu Hasaranga
Top 5 players from Mumbai: Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Jasprit Bumrah, Basil Thampi
Q & A:
Fantasy tips and tricks: Should I pick more bowlers, batsmen or all-rounders?
The MCA Stadium in Pune has not yet suffered the trouble of dew in the evening like the other venues in Mumbai have, which has heavily influenced a lot of results in this tournament. The pitch has remained true to its nature of being supportive towards the batsmen whereas fast bowlers have also been able to make some impact if they have managed to remain disciplined and put the ball in the right areas. For this contest between two teams who have not yet played up to their potential, it will be wise to add more to the batting strength and carry fast bowling options — those who can be disciplined and have the ability to deliver in pressure situations.
Fantasy tips: From which team should I pick more players in my XI? Which team is stronger?
Bangalore have indeed done better than Mumbai so far in this edition of the Indian T20 Cricket League 2022 tournament. The Faf du Plessis-led team is currently placed at the 6th spot in the points table with 2 victories in 3 matches whereas Mumbai are yet again facing the uphill task of reversing the trend of losing matches at the start of a new season. Mumbai have lost all 3 matches on the trot, and while it is still not time to press the panic button, they would not want to wait for long in order to get their act together. For now, Bangalore and Mumbai look evenly matched as far as batting is concerned but it is their bowling which makes the Faf du Plessis-led team look a stronger side on paper.
MORE INFORMATION: Mumbai captain R Sharma looked agitated and frustrated at the outcome of their previous match against Kolkata, in which they lost in a shocking manner after dominating with both bat and a ball for the majority of the contest. While Mumbai are not new to losing matches at the start of any edition of the Indian T20 Cricket League, their captain R Sharma says he does not want to be in this situation again and again. He himself is lacking runs — runs from R Sharma is what Mumbai need right now especially when they have the power of Suryakumar Yadav in the middle-order and the exuberance of Ishan Kishan at the top. At the same time, Bangalore would want their former captain V Kohlii to shrug off the rustiness and get back among top run makers in the tournament again.
PLAYERS’ FORM: Suryakumar Yadav made a scintillating start to the tournament against Kolkata by scoring 52 and guiding Mumbai to a total which they could have defended, had Pat Cummins not played an outstanding innings that he did a few nights ago. For Bangalore, they need more consistency from their batsmen especially from their big guns Plessis and V Kohlii. Dinesh Karthik will certainly instil fear in the minds of the opposition captains and bowlers after what he did against Rajasthan in their previous match. But with the ball, Mumbai will seek more from their ace fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah while it remains to be seen if they persist with Daniel Sams after his horror over against Kolkata.
Changes in squad (if any): NO
LIKELY XIs:
BANGALORE: Faf du Plessis (c), Anuj Rawat, V Kohlii, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Sherfane Rutherford, Shahbaz Ahmed, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, David Willey, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep
MUMBAI: R Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Kieron Pollard, Dewald Brevis, Daniel Sams, Murugan Ashwin, Tymal Mills, Basil Thampi, Jasprit Bumrah
FANTASY XI: R Sharma, Ishan Kishan (c&wk), Suryakumar Yadav (vc), V Kohlii, Dinesh Karthik, Tilak Varma, Shahbaz Ahmed, Wanindu Hasaranga, Tymal Mills, Harshal Patel, Jasprit Bumrah.
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Mumbai desperate to end losing streak in contest against Bangalore
The most successful team of the Indian T20 Cricket League Mumbai are officially struggling and there is only way for them to bounce back – they need to defeat Bangalore in what will be their fourth match of the 2022 season since they have lost everything so far.
Mumbai have not played as horribly as the scorecards and points table for the Indian T20 Cricket League 2022 suggest but then they have lost 3 matches on the trot, and the five-time winners are in a desperate spot to end their losing streak when they face Bangalore on Saturday night in Pune.
Mumbai will feel that they have the advantage of knowing the situations and conditions a little better than their opponents for the clash on Saturday, since Bangalore are yet to play a match at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune while Mumbai have already had one game here.
Bangalore are coming off an impressive victory against Rajasthan in which the veteran India wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik played a whirlwind knock to turn tables on Rajasthan and hand his team a narrow but a thrilling victory.
On the other hand, Mumbai had done almost everything right until they ran into a beast of a player named Pat Cummins, who smacked the joint fastest half-century in the history of the tournament to finish with a 15-ball 56 not out and hand his side Kolkata unlikely but staggering victory by 5 wickets a few nights ago in Pune.
Bangalore will need their big guns with the bat in Faf du Plessis and V Kohlii to contribute more in order to avoid running into trouble, something that can be said for Mumbai who are yet to have their captain R Sharma firing on all cylinders.
It was a welcome sign for Mumbai to have their middle-order batting mainstay Suryakumar Yadav notching up a half-century in his first match of the tournament, and in this innings he guided his side out of trouble to take them to a position of control. Tilak Varma has been very impressive and Mumbai will look up to the young batsman to continue delivering crucial knocks.
The fast bowlers will have to be cautious with their lines and lengths here since anything wrong can be punished severely, as witnessed in the contest between Mumbai and Kolkata. But if they do manage to get it right, they are likely to enjoy success and dominate batsmen.
