Mumbai take on Bangalore in a top of the table clash

Mumbai and Bangalore are both well-placed to qualify for the 2020 Indian T20 League playoffs and currently find themselves in a good position towards the top of the standings with 14 points from 11 matches. Mumbai will know that they can strengthen their stranglehold on top spot with a win over Bangalore and will be eager to set things right after losing to Rajasthan in their previous outing.

Bangalore, too, didn’t enjoy the best of outings last time around and ended up losing to bottom-placed Chennai, who are already out of the playoff reckoning. Bangalore’s encounter against Mumbai on Wednesday, though, is an opportunity for Virat Kohli’s boys to bounce back, and if we’re in for anything like the southerners’ Super Over win against the defending champions from earlier this season, then expect an exciting and entertaining contest.

The head-to-head between the teams show us that Mumbai have enjoyed the upper hand over Bangalore. When the two teams clash, the reigning champions have won 16 matches and Bangalore have emerged victorious nine times, besides also being involved in a tie. Here, we check out some key battlers and players who could have a big impact on the outcome of the game.

AB de Villiers versus spin in Indian T20 League 2020

AB de Villiers has been in great touch this season, scoring 324 runs at an average of 54 and a strike rate of 174.19. He’s scored more runs (219) than any batsmen from overs 16-20 and enjoys batting against Mumbai. The former South African skipper has made 711 runs against Mumbai – the third-most by any batsman against the four-time Indian T20 League winners. His best score of 133 not out also came against Mumbai in 2015 but one area of concern for him heading into Wednesday’s clash will be his record against spin despite being dismissed once by them just once this year.

In the previous two seasons, he has been dismissed 13 times by spinners and has an average of 28.31 and a strike rate of 137.31 against them. While it took pacers approximately 59 deliveries to dismiss de Villiers in the last two seasons, spinners required approximately 21 deliveries to do so, which should be music to the ears of Rahul Chahar and Krunal Pandya. Yet to smash a six against spinners this season, he will especially be wary of Krunal, who has dismissed him four times in the past.

AB de Villiers’ record against fast bowlers and spinners this season

Yuzvendra Chahal will be a threat to Mumbai’s big hitters

Speaking of spin, no spinner has taken more than Yuzvendra Chahal's 16 wickets this season. He has a handy habit of picking up wickets and breaking partnerships in the middle overs, having accounted for 11 of his 16 scalps during that period. His dot ball percentage of 37.36 is the second-best while his economy of 5.8 is the third-best among spinners who have bowled 20 or more overs in the middle phase. Chahal has also enjoyed a lot of success against Mumbai’s batsmen in the past and his record against the likes of Suryakumar Yadav, Quinton de Kock and Hardik Pandya suggests that he may be a threat to them.

Yuzvendra Chahal's record against Suryakumar Yadav, Quinton de Kock and Hardik Pandya

Players to watch:

Mumbai – Hardik Pandya

Hardik looked like he was back to his best when he smashed an unbeaten 21-ball 60 against Rajasthan in Mumbai’s last game. The Indian all-rounder has scored 224 runs at a strike rate of 182.11, which is the third-best this season among players to have faced more than 18 balls. Only three players have scored more runs than his 203 at an average of 33.83 for batsmen who have batted at number five or below. Hardik’s 170 runs from overs 16-20 this season is also only bettered by the likes of de Villiers and Kieron Pollard.

Bangalore – Chris Morris

Chris Morris has vastly improved Bangalore’s bowling since coming into the side and is second on the leaderboard for wickets taken by the team’s bowlers with 10 scalps. However, it isn’t just his ability to take wickets that makes him so important to Bangalore. His presence in the team seems to offer them more balance and the South African is no muck with the bat either. His economy rate of 5.74 makes for fine reading if you are Kohli and Morris is also the only Bangalore bowler to claim four wickets in an innings this season.

Stats to watch out for:

1: Wickets Jasprit Bumrah needs to reach 200 T20 wickets.

1: Wicket Jasprit Bumrah needs to reach 100 Indian T20 League wickets. He will be the third Mumbai player to do so.

7: Runs Ishan Kishan needs to reach 1000 runs in the Indian T20 League.

9: Wickets Krunal Pandya has taken against Bangalore, his most against any team in the Indian T20 League.

24: Runs Krunal Pandya needs to reach 1000 runs in the Indian T20 League.

97: Runs Quinton de Kock needs to reach 1000 runs in the Indian T20 League for Mumbai.

Writer’s pick:

Although Bangalore will fancy their chances of beating Mumbai, the four-time champions should have enough about them to brush Kohli’s boys aside. Not used to getting into a slump as far as results go, it’s difficult to see how Mumbai lose back-to-back games. They will also be keen to make amends for their Super Over loss against Bangalore earlier in the season and will be favourites to do so.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Indranil Mukherjee