RCB vs MI Highlights, IPL 2023: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis blow Mumbai Indians away as Bangalore win by 8 wickets

Mumbai Indians (MI) head coach Mark Boucher has said that skipper Rohit Sharma will be playing the match against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

Rohit missing a photoshoot featuring all IPL captains in Ahmedabad had put some doubts over Rohit's status.

"Yes, Rohit is fit. He has trained for the last two days and is 100 per cent ready to go. I think he did not feel particularly well that morning and just as a precaution, we told him to stay at home," Boucher said at a pre-match press conference.

"There are a lot of photo shoots the boys have had to do. He has not had a lot of time to himself so we thought it was better," he added.

Former RCB all-rounder and South Africa legend Jacques Kallis and Harbhajan Singh feel that apart from the players, the crowd too will play it's part in the Sunday blockbuster.

Kallis: “M Chinnaswamy is a noisy stadium, it's a small ground. The opposition feels the pressure here as the crowd is on top of you. It's tough for the visiting teams here. It's great to have such passionate home fans. I can't wait to watch this game.”

Harbhajan: "RCB vs MI match is going to be the biggest match of IPL 2023 so far because two superstars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will be up against each other. Add to it, the electrifying atmosphere at Chinnaswamy. It couldn't get better than this. Fans can't afford to miss it as 200-plus runs can be scored in the first innings and it could be chased down as well. So it is going to be a mother of all contests."

RCB will miss the services of Wanindu Hasaranga, Rajat Patidar and Josh Hazlewood. The Sri Lankan will join after the T20I series against New Zealand. The Indian batter is now at the NCA recovering from an injury while the injured Aussie pacer will join two weeks later. There are also doubts over Glenn Maxwell's participation, who admitted that his left leg, which was injured after a freak accident last year, is still not 100 per cent fit.

Jasprit Bumrah. He has been ruled out of the entire IPL 2023 season with his recurring back injury. MI, however, announced, Sandeep Warrier as the replacement for Bumrah. Aussie pacer Jhye Richardson has also been ruled out of the tournament.

"Mumbai Indians have got a good record here. But that's all in the past. There're new characters within the teams. So you can sort of take that from a confidence perspective and try to infiltrate that into the players. But the bottom line is you don't win the game of cricket on paper."

RCB have a 19-12 win-loss against Mumbai Indians. They also have won four of their last five matches against the five-time IPL champions, one of which was via Super Over and three came on the trot in their last three meetings.

Mumbai have an impressive record at the venue, winning 10 times in 13 visits.

Although, it is their home, RCB have failed to make Chinnaswamy a fortress, losing 40 matches and winning 42 in IPL history. Since 2018, they have a 7-6 win-loss record in 14 ties at home.

RCB had reached the playoffs for the third straight time last season, finishing fourth on the table with eight wins in 14 games. The Faf du Plessis-led side then beat Lucknow Super Giants in the Eliminator before being halted by Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2.

Mumbai incurred a forgettable season in IPL 2022 where they had finished last in the points table with four wins in 14 matches. It was MI's worst ever IPL season since finishing seventh in 2009.