IPL 2021: Quinton de Kock unavailable for RCB encounter; Chris Lynn to replace him

The inaugural match of the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be played between the Mumbai Indians (MI) and the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). While the Mumbai side has won the IPL trophy a colossal 5 times, the Bangalore side has not managed to get their hands on the IPL trophy even once.

And, both the teams will be looking to start their respective IPL campaigns on a winning note. However, the Mumbai Indians will be without their star opener Quinton De Kock for the opening rubber. The left-hander joined the Mumbai Indians camp after featuring in the first two ODI’s that South Africa played against Pakistan.

And, as per the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) protocols, De Kock will have to mandatorily undergo one week of quarantine. And now, dashing opening batsman Chris Lynn is expected to replace De Kock for the opening rubber. The same was confirmed by the official website of the Mumbai Indians. Lynn has featured in 41 IPL matches and has scored 1280 runs at a strike rate of 140.66.

Quinton De Kock played a key role in Mumbai’s victory last year

Quinton De Kock had a very fruitful IPL season in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last year and played a crucial role in Mumbai winning the title. The left-hander scored 503 runs in the 13th edition of the IPL and scored his runs at an average of 35.92 and at a strike rate of 140.50. Also, De Kock has accumulated glittering numbers in his IPL career.

The 28-year-old has played 66 matches in the IPL and scored 1959 runs at a decent average of 31.60. De Kock is explosive at the top, and his strike rate in excess of 130 in the IPL confirms the same.

The Mumbai side has a superior Head-to-Head record against the Virat Kohli-led Bangalore outfit. In the 27 matches that these two sides have played in the IPL, the Mumbai Indians have come out on top on 17 occasions. Mumbai Indians also have a bunch of match-winners in their arsenal, with the likes of Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, and Hardik Pandya capable of completely changing the fortunes of the game.