On Friday, the Mumbai Indians, captained by Rohit Sharma, will begin their Indian Premier League (IPL) title defense against Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore in Chennai. The match is considered to be a thrilling game because both teams have some of the top Twenty20 talents from around the world.
Though the defending champions did not make several changes to their center during the player auction, RCB made a significant investment in overseas all-rounders by signing Glenn Maxwell and Kyle Jamieson for the upcoming season.
The Mumbai-based franchise has been the team to beat in the IPL since Rohit took over as captain.
Rohit took over for Ricky Ponting halfway through the 2013 season and guided Mumbai to their first IPL title that year.
He went on to win four more tournaments over the next seven years, becoming the tournament’s most prolific champion.
The Mumbai Indians annihilated every other team in the 13th edition of the IPL, claiming their fifth title.
As Mumbai prepares to defend their crown, they also have the opportunity to become the first team in IPL history to win three titles in a row.
RCB, who depend heavily on their batting, will be hoping to get their season off to a winning start against a formidable opponent in the Mumbai Indians.
While getting some of the game’s greatest players on their roster, RCB is yet to win the IPL.
The Virat Kohli-led team has reached three IPL finals but has lost on all three occasions.
Last year, Kohli led RCB to the playoffs, but they were eliminated in the first round by SunRisers Hyderabad.
Because of the current coronavirus pandemic, no team will play any games on their home ground in the IPL this year.
All matches will be held in six cities: Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru, and Ahmedabad.
