As far as sporting cliches go - and there are plenty of them - the one about how much difference a win can make after a series of losses is top-drawer stuff. Why else would Mumbai Indians opener Suryakumar Yadav explicitly mention 'we've already forgotten about the defeats' in the pre-match press conference? Essentially, Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore reside on the same rocky boat, but the defending champions head into the first fixture of May with slightly more confidence. After all they arrive in Bengaluru after having defeated an on-song Chennai Super Kings side, and have reached that juncture in the season from where past experience suggests they can still flip it over.
Luckily for RCB, they too have some recent tryst with pulling off the unthinkable. At this stage in 2015, they had the same number of wins [2 in 7], and yet finished second on the table with eight wins in 14. The 2016 season too saw them endure starting problem [3 wins in the first 7] but another second-place finish and the runners-up medal was bagged.
Besides a common theme of shoddy and unconvincing start to the season, the reason behind all of that is also the same for both these sides - the absence of an all-round game. Many-a-fixtures have been built up and then squandered away due to lopsidedness that needs addressing at the absolute earliest. RCB had KKR for the taking, on Sunday, but a sloppy fielding performance let them down. In Hyderabad, Mumbai Indians should've cruised in chase of 119. But they got bundled out for 87 instead. But a game in the IPL is a microcosm of how the tournament works - how one team is placed at the halfway stage may not necessarily stay the same by the end of it, and both RCB and MI need to buy into that theory wholeheartedly.
Why the fixture will come with slightly higher stakes for RCB is due to the fact that this is their sixth home fixture after which they go on the road for their next five before returning on May 17 for their final home game - against Sunrisers Hyderabad. To remain alive and kicking in the tournament by then, the upward swing in results has to begin rightaway. MI have a few home games in hand, but that only brings about a small amount of comfort.
Irrespective of what happens on Tuesday, both teams could still make it to the playoffs. And yet, there will be a lot riding on Tuesday's result and how it could shape the way forward for both the winner and the loser.
When: May 1, 8 PM IST
Where: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
What to expect: A hazy evening in the offing. Virat Kohli said the Chinnaswamy pitch was 'bringing out surprises each time' after his team's fifth loss of the season on Sunday. There was a lot of turn and grip in that game, and much of the same is anticipated for Tuesday.
Luckily for RCB, they too have some recent tryst with pulling off the unthinkable. At this stage in 2015, they had the same number of wins [2 in 7], and yet finished second on the table with eight wins in 14. The 2016 season too saw them endure starting problem [3 wins in the first 7] but another second-place finish and the runners-up medal was bagged.
Besides a common theme of shoddy and unconvincing start to the season, the reason behind all of that is also the same for both these sides - the absence of an all-round game. Many-a-fixtures have been built up and then squandered away due to lopsidedness that needs addressing at the absolute earliest. RCB had KKR for the taking, on Sunday, but a sloppy fielding performance let them down. In Hyderabad, Mumbai Indians should've cruised in chase of 119. But they got bundled out for 87 instead. But a game in the IPL is a microcosm of how the tournament works - how one team is placed at the halfway stage may not necessarily stay the same by the end of it, and both RCB and MI need to buy into that theory wholeheartedly.
Why the fixture will come with slightly higher stakes for RCB is due to the fact that this is their sixth home fixture after which they go on the road for their next five before returning on May 17 for their final home game - against Sunrisers Hyderabad. To remain alive and kicking in the tournament by then, the upward swing in results has to begin rightaway. MI have a few home games in hand, but that only brings about a small amount of comfort.
Irrespective of what happens on Tuesday, both teams could still make it to the playoffs. And yet, there will be a lot riding on Tuesday's result and how it could shape the way forward for both the winner and the loser.
When: May 1, 8 PM IST
Where: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
What to expect: A hazy evening in the offing. Virat Kohli said the Chinnaswamy pitch was 'bringing out surprises each time' after his team's fifth loss of the season on Sunday. There was a lot of turn and grip in that game, and much of the same is anticipated for Tuesday.
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