🏏IPL 2026: RCB vs MI, 54th Match, at Raipur🏏 - Page 2

Thanks for the tag Parm.

May the best team win.

Cheers..

Boys in red don't give me a heart attack today plz

I'm not ready..not today..

Virat bro strike rate k peeche mat bhago you need to stay in pitch..atleast bharosa toh rehta hai that this can be chase

And Josh plz aj maar nhi khana hai..kuch bhi karo..maar mat khao aj

Rohit bhaiya i love you bt aj runs mat banao same goes with rickelton

Jassi jaise runs itne match me concede kar rahe the aj bhi kar dena

Thank you Parm for the thread and for tagging.

Best wishes to both teams, but a bit more for RCB.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru come into this match at a tricky time. After recent losses to GT and LSG, they have dropped to 4th place on the points table. While they are still in the hunt for the playoffs, their lead is shrinking. Team missed Phil Salt due to a finger injury (who is reportedly fit for today's game) and fast bowler Josh Hazlewood has struggled lately, giving away too many runs. Playing in Raipur adds another challenge because RCB could practice only for an hour at the venue due to rain. They need to win today to stay in the top four and stop their recent slide.

On the other hand, MI are in a much more desperate situation sitting 9th on the table. This is a must-win game for them to stay relevant in the tournament. MI’s biggest hope is the opening duo of Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton as their middle order (Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya) have struggled for consistency. There were many rumors that Suryakumar Yadav might miss this match because he recently went home for the birth of his daughter. However, latest reports confirm he is flying into Raipur just hours before the game and will be available to play. His return is a huge boost for MI, especially since captain Hardik Pandya is still being checked for a back injury. History is on MI's side with a 19-16 lead in head-to-head matches, but RCB have won most of their recent meetings. All eyes will be on Virat Kohli, who needs just 28 more runs to reach 1,000 career runs against Mumbai. Stay tuned for toss and team updates in a bit.

Hello, everyone on double-header Sunday and even as Urvil Patel and fly away in their pursuit of 204, RCB are getting ready to take on MI. In the past, this would have been a blockbuster clash. Make no mistake, this still is, but the two teams have had very different trajectories this IPL. RCB have lost their last two games, but are sitting pretty on fourth position on 12 points. MI, well are ninth, haven't had a lot going their way and a loss will eliminate them.

Can MI hand RCB a third straight defeat and stay alive or will RCB win and move to the top of the table? It's all to play for as IPL returns to Raipur after ten long years.

Can Jacob Bethell step up for RCB?

Bethell was slotted into the side to fill the void left by the injured Phil Salt and four games in, the English opener has not had the kind of impact he would hqave hoped for.

Bethell has amassed only 43 runs in four matches and in a season where the result of games is being decided in the PowerPlay, it is imperative for Bethell to find some form for RCB’s fortunes.

Last time out- Salt, Patidar blow RCB away

It was runs galore in the first fixture between the two sides this season. Batting first, RCB posted a mammoth 240 on the board thanks to quickfire fifties from Phil Salt and Rajat Patidar.

MI were stumped early in the chase, with the top and middle order falling in the initial overs and despite Sherfane Rutherford’s best efforts (71 off 31 balls), MI fell short of the target by 22 runs.

Can MI play spoilpost against RCB tonight?

The result of tonight’s clash would make little difference to five time champion Mumbai Indians who are virtually out of the competition and will be playing for pride for the rest of the games.

But a loss for RCB could make things tricky for the defending champion. With teams like CSK, RR and KKR, who are behind RCB at the moment but still very much in the hunt, every point counts.

A loss today will complicate things for RCB, and push them to a situation where it will need to win all of its remaining matches to qualify for the Playoffs.

Hardik fitness in focus, SKY available

MI captain Hardik Pandya missed the last game against LSG due to a back spasm with Suryakumar Yadav deputising in his place.

On the eve of the match against RCB, there has been no update from the team management on the status of Pandya’s recovery, and he is likely to miss out again today.

And that’s not all. Suryakumar Yadav had left the team after the last game for personal reasons and there were murmurs that SKY could potentially be unavailable for the game against RCB.

However, those doubts have been put to rest as SKY has rejoined the team on the eve of the match, and is expected to stand in for Hardik again.