Both sides are languishing at the wrong end of the table and are desperate for the win.
Battling legend Sir Vivian Richards believes the leaders of the two outfits, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, will play a huge role in the outcome of the game with their decision-making.
“We are half-way through IPL 11 and the four teams that make up the bottom half of the table are looking to turn things around. Mumbai and Bangalore have brilliant teams on paper, but the ball hasn’t seemed to stick for either of them just yet,” Richards wrote in his column for the Times of India.
“In a must-win match for both teams, it will be interesting to see what this encounter holds and how the two smashing Indian skippers will leave their mark,” he added.
Both batsmen have been scoring at a decent rate for their respective sides but results haven’t gone their way.
“Virat and Rohit have been in great form but their team’s all-round performance needs to improve if they want to qualify for the playoffs. The Bangalore boys have always had a bowling concern and the same has been haunting them this season too.
“With a fantastic batting line-up that manages to get runs on the board, their bowling in the death overs has been below par and their poor fielding has made their case worse. Failure of getting the basics right has definitely cost Virat and his men a number of games, just as dropping an easy catch of [Chris] Lynn deprived them of a win in the previous match,” Richards opined.
“Given the current table standings, both MI and RCB need to find their ground fast and start their road to redemption. Adapting to the pressure and the flow of the match is very important in the forthcoming crunch games.”
