Maxwell, Green Dropped; Will Jacks In? RCB's Probable XI vs MI

MI will take on RCB on Thursday [IPL.com]MI will take on RCB on Thursday [IPL.com]

On Thursday, Mumbai Indians will cross swords against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in match 25 of the ongoing Indian Premier League season. Led by Faf du Plessis, the Royal Challengers have had a forgettable IPL 2024 campaign, losing four of their five group-stage matches.

They began their journey with a crushing six-wicket defeat to Chennai Super Kings in the tournament opener but bounced back remarkably, pipping Punjab Kings in a thrilling face-off at home. But nothing has gone right for the Red Brigade since then. 

After a clinical win against PBKS, they fell flat in three successive games, receiving heavy defeats from KKR, LSG and RR. 

Besides Mohammed Siraj's poor bowling form, what has led to RCB's downfall is their batters' prolonged rough patch. 

Barring Virat Kohli, none of the RCB batters has played his role perfectly, with the Australian duo of Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green being the biggest disappointments. 

While Maxwell has managed only 32 runs across five innings, Green has added 68 runs to his tally, recording an abysmal economy of 9.40 with the ball. 

However, considering his spin-hitting prowess and better bowling form than Green, RCB might persist with Maxwell, replacing his national teammate with explosive top-order batter Will Jacks. 

By doing this, they can get a stable top three, comprising Kohli, Du Plessis and Jacks. This will allow them to use Maxwell as per the game situation, providing him with a suitable entry point. 

Furthermore, there is no need to keep Rajat Patidar in the XI if he isn't batting at the top order. Instead, they might go with Mahipal Lomror, who performed satisfactorily in whatever chances he got earlier in the competition, to strengthen their middle order. 

Dinesh Karthik and Saurav Chauhan could be RCB's additional batting options. Siraj, alongside Karn Sharma, Reece Topley, and Yash Dayal, will lead the bowling department. 


RCB's Probable Playing XI vs MI

Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (C), Will Jacks, Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik (WK), Saurav Chauhan, Mohammed Siraj, Karn Sharma, Reece Topley, Yash Dayal

Impact substitutes: Suyash Prabhudessai, Rajat Patidar, Himanshu Sharma, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Swapnil Singh