Mumbai Indians are all set to play against the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

Both teams have produced some thrillers over the years, especially the latest instance in Dubai where the match went down to a Super Over. MI and RCB are tied at 14 points currently.

MI lost their previous game to RR by eight wickets while RCB also lost to CSK by the same margin. Coincidentally, both the oppositions wrapped up the run-chase in the penultimate over.

Here we take you through some of the talking points ahead of the MI vs RCB clash.

MI enjoy a better record

Both MI and RCB have faced each other a total of 28 games out of which Mumbai has emerged victorious 18 times. This includes the 2010 IPL semi-final and 2011 CLT20 final clash between the sides. MI emerged victorious in both the games.

Mumbai will be playing their final league game in Abu Dhabi. They will be more acclimatized to the conditions having played eight matches here. However, RCB have won both their games in the ground and will look to continue their winning run here.

Flashback

Both teams played a thriller at the Dubai International Stadium early in the tournament. The match went down to a Super Over where RCB managed to keep their calm and emerged victorious on the last ball. Batting first, Devdutt Padikkal, Aaron Finch, and AB de Villiers, all scored half-centuries to steer RCB to a total of 201/3.

With MI reduced to 39/3 and further 78/4, the target seemed to be out of MI’s reach. With a required rate of 20-per over, both Ishan Kishan and Kieron Pollard rose to the occasion in the last four overs. While Kishan got out on 99, Pollard stayed unbeaten on 60* (24) to push the match to the Super Over.

Team Form

MI have been table-toppers for a major part of the season. A couple more victories will consolidate their position in the top two as they boast of a good NRR. The men in Blue and Gold were stunned by the Samson-Stokes partnership in the previous game.

As for RCB, they too have been amongst the top three of the points table. However, they too were dented with a loss against eighth-placed CSK. They will look to regroup and come back stronger. A loss for any side may put them on a spot with other teams closing in.

Batting Firepower

The new opening pair of Quinton de Kock and Ishan Kishan has shown a lot of promise at the top-order. Suryakumar Yadav has been in good nick and would look to replicate the same. Saurabh Tiwary has also made valuable contributions with the bat. The finishing conundrum revolves around Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya. Both are capable of singlehandedly turning the game in their team’s favor. Adding to that, Krunal Pandya can go bonkers with the bat as well.

While Devdutt Padikkal has been quite consistent for RCB at the start, Aaron Finch hasn’t got going in the tournament. His only fifty came against MI. Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers both have been in stupendous form in IPL averaging over 50 this season. However, the RCB skipper hasn’t been able to accelerate with the bat in the later overs. The biggest concern for RCB is their finishers. Chris Morris hasn’t got much exposure with the bat while Gurkeerat Singh Mann and Washington Sundar haven’t done anything significant.

The Bowling Lineups

The MI bowlers had their first bad game of the season against RR. They will look to come back stronger against RCB. The trio of Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, and James Pattinson have taken 44 wickets between themselves. They have consistently picked wickets with the new ball and not allowed the opposition to capitalize in powerplay overs. Rahul Chahar has also been amongst the wickets while Krunal Pandya has bowled economically even in the powerplay overs. Pollard has also contributed from time to time with his clever use of slower balls.

The entry of Morris in the RCB playing XI has improved their death bowling significantly. Isuru Udana has chipped in well for them. Mohammed Siraj has been bowling good lengths this season and even won the Man of the Match against KKR. Navdeep Saini hasn’t conceded much and also got important wickets in the middle. Yuzvendra Chahal is the leading wicket-taker amongst spinners currently with 16 wickets while Sundar has done well during the powerplay.

Approaching milestones

- Pollard requires 31 runs more to complete 3000 runs in IPL

- Pollard is also 6 sixes away from completing 200 sixes in IPL

- Krunal requires 24 runs more to complete 1000 runs in IPL

- Krunal is also 5 wickets away from completing 50 wickets in IPL

- Ishan is just 7 runs short of completing 1000 runs in IPL

- Bumrah is 1 wicket away from completing 100 wickets in IPL

- Hardik is 2 catches away from completing 50 catches in IPL.

Players to watch out for

Suryakumar Yadav: The 30-year old batsman will be keen to make a statement. After not making it to the national squad, Suryakumar Yadav will be looking to continue from where he left against RR with a 26-ball 40. His ability to play some unorthodox shots even against the best of bowlers makes him a fearsome prospect for the opposition.

Krunal Pandya: The all-rounder hasn’t made a huge impact in the Dream11 IPL 2020 so far. Krunal Pandya will be waiting to grab an opportunity and make the best of it. He has been a proven match-winner for MI not only for his batting at the lower order but also for his left-arm orthodox bowling. He has even got AB de Villiers’ wicket four times.