MI vs RCB, IPL 2021: From Kohli to Rohit, 5 players to watch out for

The opening fixture of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 is set to be played on April 9 (Friday) in Chennai between MI and RCB.

RCB vs MI is one of the biggest rivalries in the IPL, mostly because of the captains: Kohli and Rohit, who are two of the best batsmen in limited-overs. While Rohit has led MI to five titles, Kohli is yet to win the IPL with RCB.

With 5,878 runs, Virat Kohli is the leading run-scorer in the IPL. He is expected to produce fireworks with the bat in the IPL 2021 as he is coming off an excellent T20I series vs England. With 231 runs in 5 games, Kohli finished with the most runs in the series. He followed that with two fifties in the ODI series as well. Last IPL, Kohli scored 466 runs in 15 games at 42.36. His strike rate, however, was just 121.35, and he will be looking to score at a quicker rate this season.

One of the most interesting battles in the IPL 2021 is expected to be between Kohli and MI pacer Bumrah. While Kohli will open the innings for RCB, Bumrah will have the new ball for MI. Interestingly, Kohli was Bumrah’s maiden wicket in IPL (2013) and also his 100th wicket (2020).

Pollard, who has been with MI since 2010, has an excellent record against RCB. With 539 runs, Pollard has scored more runs against these opponents than any other MI batsman. Moreover, he is coming off hammering 6 6s in an over against SL in March. Pollard completed 3,000 runs in the IPL just last season.

Chahal is the leading wicket-taker for RCB against MI – 21. Even last year, the leg spinner was RCB’s best, having picked up 21 scalps at an average of 19.28.

Rohit is among the four batsmen who have scored 5,000 or more runs in the IPL. He is also one of the most successful players in the history of the tournament, having won the title 6 times: 5 with MI captain and 1 with Deccan Chargers in 2009. Even though his IPL run was disrupted with injury the last term, he still managed to score over 300 runs in 12 games.