'They are slightly ahead': Former India all-rounder backs MI ahead of clash against RCB
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'They are slightly ahead': Former India all-rounder backs MI ahead of clash against RCB")
Mumbai Indians' Shardul Thakur celebrates with teammates Photograph: (AFP)
Mumbai Indians will take on defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the iconic Wankhede Stadium on Sunday (Apr 12).
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru head into their high-profile IPL 2026 encounter with Mumbai Indians carrying better momentum, but noted that Mumbai may have a slight advantage when comparing individual players. Both teams are coming off heavy defeats against Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati. Pathan pointed out that RCB started strong with convincing wins at home, but their form dipped once they began playing away, including the loss in Guwahati. He suggested this could raise some concerns within the camp. According to him, the outcome of the match may depends on which side executes better in the death overs, with the toss also likely to play a key role.
"So, there will be a few questions in the camp. I feel the game might be decided by which team bowls better in the end overs, and the toss will be an important factor too. RCB have the form, but in a man-to-man comparison, I feel Mumbai are slightly ahead," said Pathan on JioHotstar, as the competition begins its 'Rivalry Week'.
Looking back at Saturday’s game between Punjab Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad, which Punjab won by six wickets, Pathan highlighted Shashank Singh’s surprise bowling spell as a turning point that stopped Hyderabad from putting up a significantly bigger total.
"It was a game-changing moment. If not for those two wickets, which Shashank got both in the same over, Sunrisers would have made 250 easily. That was the kind of start Abhishek and Travis Head gave them; they lost their first wicket at 120," he observed.
Pathan also lauded the tactical acumen shown by the part-timer and the trust placed in him by skipper Shreyas Iyer. Shashank, who doesn’t bowl regularly, asked for the ball himself. He went up to Shreyas and the captain showed confidence in him.
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"He bowled with a plan, went wide to Abhishek, avoided bowling it full, and varied his pace. That was the game right there, the difference between 220 and 250, which could have made things tougher for Punjab. They are in some form at the moment," he added.
With inputs from agencies
