RCB vs MI Dream11 Prediction, IPL 2023: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Mumbai Indians Fantasy Picks

RCB vs MI Dream11 prediction, IPL 2023: Star-studded Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians will face off in their opening match of the Indian Premier League 2023 season at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday (April 2). The match will start at 7:30 PM IST.

For long touted Rohit Sharma vs Virat Kohli encounters, five-time champions Mumbai Indians enjoy a 17-13 win record over RCB. However, the southern outfit has won the last five encounters between the sides. MI will also be looking for a fresh start after finishing bottom of the table last season with just four wins.

RCB vs MI injury update, key players

RCB injury update: There are a couple of injury concerns for the side as batter Rajat Patidar is yet to join the RCB camp as he recovers from injury at National Cricket Academy while Aussie pacer Josh Hazelwood is also uncertain for the game. Also unavailable for the game is Sri Lankan all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga.

RCB wicketkeepers: Dinesh Karthik returns to competitive cricket after four months

Dinesh Karthik has been RCB's man behind the stumps since the mega auction reshuffle. The wicket-keeper batter's lower-order performance found him a berth in the T20 World Cup squad but since the Australia showdown, the Tamil Nadu cricketer has played just one 50-over domestic game.

If his match fitness is an issue, Finn Allen and Anuj Rawat will fancy their chances sooner or later. Allen scored a half-century in ODIs recently but has failed to play big knocks batting up the order so far. Delhi's Rawat, on the other hand, a hit-or-miss Ranji season in January.

RCB batter: Virat Kohli on a roll

Virat Kohli enters the IPL season with huge expectations as the star Indian batter has taken care of his batting concerns and has played some big knocks off late, including 186 against Australia in the Border Gavaskar series. The batter, however, hasn't played T20 cricket since India's World Cup debacle last year.

Teams' captain Faf du Plessis, on the other hand, has played enough of the shorter format as he dazzled at the inaugural SA20 for the Jo'burg Super Kings. The South African played some big knocks in the tournament before getting out for back-to-back ducks in the last two innings.

Left-hander Mahipal Lomror, who featured in seven games last IPL and had a strike rate of 150-plus, had a good showing in the domestic season. The Rajasthan batter scored multiple big knocks throughout formats and could fit into the middle order if needed. Goa batter Suyash Prabhudessai may fancy playing a bigger role for RCB this season after slamming a double century in Ranji Trophy.

RCB all-rounders: Is Glenn Maxwell ready to fire?

2023 has been a quiet year for Glenn Maxwell as the year went on recovering from his injury. The all-rounder heads into the IPL playing a couple of matches since recovery, including a match against India. Maxwell did, however, got some runs during the intra-squad match a couple of days before the match.

RCB may turn to Michael Bracewell, who came in as a replacement for Will Jacks, as the New Zealand all-rounder scored a century in the same intra-squad game. Among Indians, spin all-rounder Sarfaraz Ahmed, who played 16 games last season, remains an integral part of the team, especially with Hasaranga missing.

RCB bowlers: Mohammad Siraj to lead pace attack ahead?

Pacer Mohammad Siraj comes into IPL 2023 after taking loads of wickets in the white ball for India. His T20 credentials are often in doubt and he didn't feature much in the T20 format for India too but is a much more experienced bowler than before. Harshal Patel has been the strike bowler of the side with 51 wickets in the last two seasons and is part of the Indian team as well.

Among foreign pacers in Hazlewood's absence, RCB have two left-handed English pacers Recee Topley and David Willey, both of whom were acquired during the mini auctions. While Willey featured for CSK last season and was unimpressive, Topley will be looking to make his IPL debut. Both of them have lost their spots in the English team and will have the chance to prove their worth in Indian condition with the 50-over World Cup in India later.

MI injury update, key players

Mumbai Indians will be without pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Jhye Richardson for the entire season due to injuries. This has significantly depleted the squad's pace bowling strength but MI have some options in the line-up to cope with it.

MI wicketkeeper: Ishan Kishan hopes to find form

Mumbai Indians' wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan is in all certainty to take the role of wicketkeeper for the game. His recent form, however, has been a concern as no big knock has come out of his bat since the double hundred in ODIs against Bangladesh. Tristan Stubbs is another keeping option, who bats lower down the order. There's another option in Vishnu Vinod, who carries the reputation of a hard-hitter in the domestic circuit.

MI batters: Rohit Sharma, SKY need to fire big

Mumbai Indians require their senior players to fire big and Rohit Sharma is right at the top of the list. The Indian skipper has been in good touch with two centuries and as many half-centuries to his name earlier in the season. He got a good start during the ODI series against Australia but couldn't convert them into big innings.

The same expectations are of Suryakumar Yadav, whose form has dropped this year. This embarrassingly includes three consecutive ducks. This makes the role of Tim David crucial in the batting order, who played some influential knocks for Multan Sultans during the PSL last month after being promoted in the middle-order. Youngster Dewald Brevis, who was impressive with his batting abilities last season, may get a look in as well with impact player rule in play.

MI all-rounder: Cameroon Green's hefty pricetag makes him centre of attraction

Cameron Green became the second most expensive player in the IPL history during the mini-auction and set himself up for it well by scoring a century against India during the Border-Gavaskar series.

MI All-rounder: Jofra Archer sole genuine pacer in team

Jofra Archer returns to IPL for the first time since 2020 as the pacer missed the entire season due to injury. The pacer has been in good form as well with nine wickets during the white-ball series against Bangladesh and also took a six-for against South Africa back in February.

Out of favour Australian pacer Jason Behrendorff, who last played for Australia back in April 2022, may get lucky in absence of Bumrah and Richardson. However, he will have to see competition from the likes of Duan Jansen and indian pacer Sandeep Warrier, who came in as a last-minute replacement for Bumrah. Among spinners, veteran Piyush Chawla and youngster Kumar Kartikeya are expected to fight for a spot in the playing 11.

Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Mumbai Indians predicted playing XI

MI predicted playing 11 vs RCB: Rohit Sharma(c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Tim David, Cameron Green, Ramandeep Singh, Jofra Archer, Jason Behrendorff, Kumar Kartikeya, Arshad Khan

RCB predicted playing 11 vs MI: Faf du Plessis(C), Virat Kohli, Suyash Prabhudessai, Michael Bracewell, Mahipal Lomror, Glenn Maxwell, Shahbaz Ahmed, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Mohammed Siraj, Harshal Patel, Recee Topley

RCB vs MI pitch report

Known to be batting-friendly in the limited overs format thanks to the flat wickets and the small ground dimension, making it a batter's paradise and a bowler's nightmare. Going by the record in T20s, the chasing team has had a slight advantage on the wickets at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.