Traditional Heavyweights Fight for Mid-table Escape

The match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore at Wankhede is among the most eagerly awaited games of the IPL 2023.

It comes as no surprise that the stadium will be packed to capacity on Tuesday night.

This marquee contest is ranked as the second most high-profile match-up of the season in the city, with the first one being the game against Chennai Super Kings, which has already taken place.

As both Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore are currently tied on points in the league table, the star-studded encounter between them takes on added significance.

There is no doubt that this match could reach the high levels of intensity that are expected at the business-end of the competition.

Both teams will be striving to move out of the mid-table muddle and climb up the rankings.

As the game approaches, the host team Mumbai Indians are facing some troubling questions, with the focus being on the form of captain Rohit Sharma.

His continued poor performance in the season has become a topic of debate, with little attention being given to his more important upcoming assignments – the World Test Championship and the World Cup – in the longer term.

Rohit Sharma’s recent form has been a cause for concern, as he has managed to score just 184 runs in 10 games, which puts him in the 40th position among the top scorers’ list of the IPL 2023.

This is a disappointing performance from a player of his caliber. Additionally, he has only managed to score two half centuries in 33 IPL games.

Further analysis reveals that he has scored only two scores of over 50 runs in the last three IPL seasons.

There is a perception that Rohit Sharma’s prolonged poor form may be impacting his leadership skills, and even former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has called for him to take a break.

However, Rohit has not followed this advice and instead made a minor change to his batting approach by moving himself down to No. 3 in the previous game. Unfortunately, this change did not yield much success.

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इंडिया नॅशनल क्रिकेट टीम

A captain who is performing well can often inspire the rest of the team to do the same.

In Rohit Sharma’s case, his poor form may be impacting the performance of his team, as they are currently in sixth place on the points table with 10 points from 10 games.

This is a precarious position for a team that has won the IPL five times.

However, despite Rohit’s struggles, the team has come out in support of their captain, stating that they fully stand behind him.

Cameron Green, who opened in place of Rohit in the previous game, expressed full confidence in the beleaguered skipper.

“We are absolutely not worried about his form. Rohit is a legend, especially with Mumbai and everything he has done in his career. He could come back into form at any time. So far, he has batted beautifully in a few games, showing really good tempo at the top, so we are fully backing him,” Green said.

However, Rohit knows that he needs to perform well in Tuesday night’s crucial game to help his team win and move up in the points table.

Like Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore are also entering the upcoming contest after a defeat.

However, they may have a slight advantage over the home team. With key batsmen Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis in good form, along with Mahipal Lomror joining the party, RCB could be in a positive space.

They will be looking for more significant contributions from Dinesh Karthik and Glenn Maxwell to bolster their batting lineup.

Royal Challengers Bangalore’s bowling lineup has received a significant boost with the inclusion of Josh Hazlewood, who complements the established bowling duo of Mohammed Siraj and Wanindu Hasaranga, both of whom have performed well for the franchise thus far.

However, due to the Impact Player rule, this IPL season has primarily favored batsmen, and bowlers have often been on the receiving end of a barrage of runs.

Therefore, it is unlikely that the script will be any different in Tuesday night’s game.

Kedar Jadhav, the latest addition to the Royal Challengers Bangalore team, shares the opinion that the Impact Player rule has made teams and players bolder and more fearless.

The rule allows for an extra batter as a cushion, which has led to higher scores, with more totals above 200 being posted this season. Jadhav expressed this sentiment on the eve of the game.