MI vs RCB Highlights, IPL 2023: Surya, Nehal shine as Mumbai brush aside Bangalore to grab third spot

SIX! Faf du Plessis is looking in exquisite touch. Looks like the two wickets that have fallen doesn't bother him at all. He is going after the Mumbai bowlers in the powerplay. Faf pumps the final ball of the Jason Behrendorff down town for the first maximum of the contest. 16 runs came off the Behrendorff third over. RCB 45/2 after 5 overs

4 0 4 0 1 0 - A good end from Cameron Green after Faf du Plessis took on him at the start of the over. A couple of boundaries to start the evening but Green does well to restrict the scoring to 9 in his first over. Jason Behrendorff comes in for his third straight over. RCB 29/2 after 4 overs

OUT! Second over, second wicket for Jason Behrendorff. The left-arm pacer is on fire! A strange shot from Anuj Rawat. He moves across and attempts a scoop shot but Jason follows him. Anuj miscues the shot as the ball shoots straight up. Cameron Green runs back and completes a good catch. Anuj walks back for 6. RCB 16/2 after 2.2 overs

1 0 0 4 4 0 - Piyush Chawla starts off with a nine-run first over that included a couple of boundaries in it. Rohit Sharma brings spin into action and Faf takes on the veteran leggie. Back-to-back boundaries for Faf in Piyush's first over. RCB 12/1 after 2 overs

OUT! Big wicket! What a start for Mumbai Indians. Jason Behrendorff strikes in the first over of the contest. And it's Virat Kohli, who walks back for 1. He tries to attack Jason, stepping out of his crease but the back of length ball from the left-arm pacer jags away after pitching. A faint outside edge and Ishan Kishan grabs a simple catch. The original decision from the on-field umpire was not out but the MI camp was convinced. Rohit Sharma goes for the review straightaway and the third umpire reverses the on-field decision. Virat walks back in first over. RCB 2/1 after 0.5 overs

Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis are in the middle to begin the innings for Royal Challengers Bangalore. Jason Behrendorff to start the proceedings for Mumbai Indians. A slip in place for Behrendorff. Kohli on strike. Here we go!

Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis(c), Anuj Rawat, Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik(w), Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Mohammed Siraj, Josh Hazlewood

Rohit Sharma(c), Ishan Kishan(w), Cameron Green, Suryakumar Yadav, Tim David, Nehal Wadhera, Chris Jordan, Piyush Chawla, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya, Jason Behrendorff

Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma wins the toss and decides to bowl first against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Wankhede.

Mumbai Indians - L W W L L | Royal Challengers Bangalore - L W L W W

With 511 runs, Du Plessis is the only batter this season to have crossed the 500-run mark and RCB will hope that their skipper gets going with others in his tow to a big total if they bat first. But it remains to be seen if RCB have more in their batting shelf apart from the big three, who have done the heavy lifting so far in the IPL. Dinesh Karthik has failed with the bat this season and RCB also do not have a big hitter in their lower-middle order either. The inclusion of Josh Hazlewood has provided a shot in the arm to RCB's bowling with Mohammed Siraj at the helm, having snaffled 15 wickets in 10 matches so far.

On the other hand, RCB will hope that their troika of Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell fire at the top, since whenever they have done so collectively, the team has found itself mostly on the right side of the results. Mahipal Lomror struck a quality 54 against Delhi Capitals but his knock was not enough as RCB suffered a shock defeat. They are now at the sixth spot in the points table with five wins and as many defeats in 10 matches.

Struggling with fitness, England pacer Jofra Archer was on Tuesday ruled out of the IPL, forcing Mumbai Indians to name fast bowler Chris Jordan as his replacement for the remainder of the T20 event.

In last year's IPL, which also was MI's poorest in terms of performance as they finished last, Rohit averaged a little over 19 while scoring 268 runs in 14 matches. However, with Rohit not firing at the top, MI have had the likes of Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav and Cameron Green consolidating in the middle while Tilak Varma and Tim David have also found their groove as finishers late in the order. MI tried taking pressure off Rohit by sending him at No. 3 in their last game against Chennai Super Kings, but it was a move that worked for none of the parties involved. Rohit endured his second consecutive duck and fourth single-digit score on the trot while an otherwise firing Green fell for six at the opening slot. MI could only make a poor 139/8 in CSK's home ground, losing an away game to their arch rivals for the first time in 13 years.

For the sixth-placed Mumbai Indians to move up in the points table, it is imperative that their best batter in the line-up fires. Rohit's role in this IPL has been to provide brisk starts at the top, and at times he has had some success too, but consistency has deserted the right-arm batter whose early dismissal in huge chases has only added pressure on a relatively new batting line-up, which fortunately, from MI's point of view, has delivered too. Mumbai Indians' head coach Mark Boucher admitted a few games ago that consistency could get compromised if any batter goes out of his way to look for runs, but for Sharma, one of the highest run-getters in the IPL, it is becoming a pattern.

With the race for playoffs intensifying, captain Rohit Sharma's form with the bat and bowling in the death overs will be a huge concern for hosts Mumbai Indians as they meet Royal Challengers Bangalore in a mid-table clash. With 184 runs in 10 matches at a forgettable average of 18.39 and a solitary half-century, Sharma is enduring a second consecutive poor season with the bat.