Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore Betting Tips

Mumbai Indians face RCB in mouthwatering IPL 2021 opener

Defending champions Mumbai Indians will face Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the opening fixture of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 on Friday.

This year’s tournament will be a different one compared to the previous editions, largely because of the coronavirus pandemic.

It is because of this reason the opening fixture will be played at a neutral venue in Chennai as the coronavirus situation in the state of Maharashtra is getting worst with every passing day.

With the match being played at a neutral venue, it will give RCB more of a chance compared to Mumbai who are famous for using their home advantage.

Therefore, it will be interesting to see how the reigning champions will begin their campaign this time around.

However, looking at the previous five outings, Mumbai will feel good about the fact that they’ve come out on top on three occasions.

Mumbai Indians Form and Team news:

Mumbai Indians will enter the competition as a firm favorites to lift the title once again as they undoubtedly have the strongest squad around.

The team’s biggest concern will be their fast-bowling department in the opening fixture where the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Nathan Coulter-Nile have not played much cricket of late.

But the good thing for the defending champions is the fact that all players and staff members have been tested negative for the pathogen.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock will not be available for the first couple of matches as he has to undergo seven-day mandatory quarantine after landing from South Africa following the first two ODIs against Pakistan.

In his absence in the batting department, Mumbai will be relying heavily on the likes of captain Rohit Sharma, young Suryakumar Yadav and explosive all-rounders Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya to score the bulk of the runs.

On the bowling front, the onus will be on the likes of Bumrah, left-arm pacer Trent Boult and right-arm leggie Rahul Chahar to produce timely breakthroughs.

Royal Challengers Bangalore Form and Team News:

RCB are once again coming into the competition with high hopes despite never been able to live up to the expectations in the past.

The team management will be hoping that this time around, the side will be able to go one step further than they did in the previous campaign.

In the season opener, the eyes will be on RCB captain Virat Kohli as well as he will come up against Rohit Sharma, who is being discussed repeatedly as an ideal candidate to replace the star batsman as the leader of the national team in white-ball formats.

In the batting department, the team will be relying on the likes of Kohli, former South Africa captain AB de Villiers, young Devdutt Padikkal and explosive Glenn Maxwell to score the bulk of the runs.

On the bowling front, the onus will be on the likes of pacer Kyle Jamieson, Navdeep Saini and right-arm leggie Yuzvendra Chahal to produce timely breakthroughs.

Odds by Casumo

According to the Casumo sportsbook, Defending Champions Mumbai Indians will be firm favorites to win the opening game of the Indian Premier League to be played at M.A Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. For the IPL opener, Mumbai Indians are placed at 1.65 odds, while Royal Challengers Bangalore are placed at 2.18 odds.

Check our our IPL Odds here

 

Our Tipsters Angle

It is hard to predict the outcome of the first match with no teams having played any prior practice matches.

However, looking at the overall composition of the squads, the prediction is for Mumbai Indians to win the match and start the competition on a high.

Tip 1: Mumbai Indians have a formidable head-to-head record Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Reigning Champions, Mumbai Indians, will take heart from the fact that they have an excellent head-to-head record against Royal Challengers Bangalore. In 29 matches played between the two teams, Mumbai Indians have registered 19 victories.

Given their excellent record against RCB, we are expecting Mumbai to register a comfortable [email protected]

Tip 2: Virat Kohli aim to continue his excellent form in IPL

After producing three half-centuries in the recently concluded T20I series against England, Virat Kohli will be looking to continue his purple patch with the bat in the Indian Premier League. He is all-time leading run-scorer in the history of Indian Premier League. In 192 matches played for RCB, Kohli has accumulated 5,878 runs at an average of 38.16 with five centuries and twenty half-centuries to his name.

Given his phenomenal IPL record, we are expecting Virat Kohli to score 30 runs or [email protected].

Conclusion

Expect Mumbai Indians to beat Royal Challengers Bangalore in the opening game of the Indian Premier League.

1. Mumbai Indians to register a comfortable win-Mumbai [email protected]
2. Virat Kohli to score 30 runs or more-Royal Challengers [email protected]

Check our our IPL Odds here