Thanks to Jasprit Bumrah’s possible comeback for their important Wankhede battle against their familiar foes Royal Challengers, Mumbai Indians will exhale a sigh of relief. MI has benefited greatly from Bumrah’s comeback as the IPL 2025 gradually moves to its more intense phases; against a batting unit like that of RCB, the hosts will be looking to fully exploit it.
Regarding general performance this season, RCB will have the advantage in confidence approaching the Monday battle. Though they lost their first home game of the season to Gujarat Titans, that had nothing bearing on their general supremacy in their first two victories over Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders. Their fresh batting lineup, which includes Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Jitesh Sharma, and Tim David, still lacks complete syncing nevertheless. A bumrah-featured MI clash will challenge them completely.
MI, on the other side, who is eighth on the points table, will have very little chance for error on the field in this high-value encounter. Though the victory in their past two meetings against KKR and LSG will inspire a lot of confidence, the team will be seeking to come over batting errors – which have mostly been saved by individual brilliance thus far this season.
Although MI has Bumrah’s potential comeback on the cards, depending on his recovery from the knee injury he sustained ahead of their LSG game, the side’s star man Rohit Sharma runs the risk of missing the clash, so discounting fans from a much awaited Kohli-Rohit face-off.
Head to head: MI against RCB
MI, however modest, has an advantage in terms of their head-to—head count. MI has a 19-13 edge over RCB in their 33 matches against each other over the span of the IPL; one match finishes in a draw.
MI won a 7-wicket match at Wankhede in IPL 2024, marking the last collision between the two sides.
Team Notes: MI Against RCB
MI might see Jasprit Bumrah returning for the side against RCB following the “match-fit” go-ahead, and subsequently play a major part for the bowling unit this season. Conversely, the status of Rohit Sharma for this encounter is very unclear; he missed MI’s last game against LSG after developing a knee niggle.
Bengali Royal Challengers Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (w), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazard, Yash Dayal
Impact Player: Suyash Sharma/Rasikh Dar Salam
Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton w, Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Ashwani Kumar
Affect sub: Jasprit Bumrah
Or,
Ryan Rickelton (w); Will Jacks; Suryakumar Yadav; Tilak Varma; Hardik Pandya (c); Naman Dhir; Mitchell Santner; Deepak Chahar; Jasprit Bumrah; Trent Boult; Ashwani Kumar
Sub: Rohit Sharma, Impact
MI Against RCB: Top Fantasy Choices
Mumbai India:
Suresakumar Yadav
Trent Boult-Jasprit Bumrah
Ashwanti Kumar
Bengaluru’s royal challenge:
Phil Salt Rajat Patidar Tim David
Josh Havelwood
MI’s pitch conditions differ from RCB’s
Usually, batters at the Wankhede Stadium find great advantage in the red dirt pitch. But bowlers excelled the most in MI’s showdown against KKR in their lone IPL 2025 encounter thus far. Along with Trent Boult, Ashwani Kumar, in his IPL debut, grabbed a four-wicket haul on this ground and consistently enjoyed bounce on the surface.
On both sides, heavy-hitting hitters like Phil Salt, Tim David, Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma, and Hardik Pandya have the ability to exploit bounce in their advantage. Wankhede’s small size will only serve their purpose in case of need.
MI against RCB: Forecasting the Weather
Mumbai’s forecasted mild April 7 weather calls for temperatures between 33 and 30 degrees Celsius. Regarding humidity, considering a 40–57% range, dew could also be something to consider.