The race for knockouts of the 2023 Indian Premier League is getting interesting as the tournament is heading toward the business end of the league stages. All 10 teams are still in contention for the knockout spot. The Mumbai Indians will take on the Royal Challengers Bangalore in an all-important game on Tuesday, May 9 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
In the previous encounter between the two teams, Royal Challengers Bangalore emerged as winners by eight wickets. Currently, the Mumbai Indians rank eighth on the points table with five wins from ten matches. They lost their last game against the Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk. Meanwhile, the Royal Challengers Bangalore too is in a similar position, with ten points from as many games. They were defeated by the Delhi Capitals by seven wickets in Delhi in their recent game.
Let’s take a look at the qualification scenario for the Mumbai Indians and the Royal Challengers Bangalore ahead of their clash in the 2023 Indian Premier League:
Mumbai Indians
The Mumbai Indians haven’t been able to click together as a unit in the 2023 Indian Premier League season. Thanks to their batting depth, they are alive in the knockout race. They have four matches remaining in the tournament. If the Rohit Sharma-led team wins the remaining games, they can even target a top-two finish. If they win three, they could sneak through to the playoffs, given they improve their Net Run Rate. Their NRR of -0.454 is among the worst in the season.
Schedule for remaining games:
- Match 54 vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, May 9, Mumbai
- Match 57 vs Lucknow Super Giants, May 16, Lucknow
- Match 63 vs Gujarat Titans, May 12, Mumbai
- Match 69 vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, May 21, Mumbai
Royal Challengers Bangalore
As mentioned earlier, the Royal Challengers Bangalore are in a similar position to the Mumbai Indians. They have won three out of their last five matches, keeping themselves in the hunt. If the Faf du Plessis-led team can win three out of their four matches, they can manage to qualify for the knockouts. However, they cannot afford more than one defeat in their remaining matches.
Schedule for remaining games:
- Match 54 vs Mumbai Indians, May 9, Mumbai
- Match 60 vs Rajasthan Royals, May 14, Jaipur
- Match 65 vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, May 18, Hyderabad
- Match 70 vs Gujarat Titans, May 21, Bengaluru
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