IPL 2022: Match 18 – Strongest Predicted Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) Playing XI vs Mumbai Indians (MI)

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will be up against the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 18th game of the IPL 2022. The Red Army has been eyeing to get hold of the IPL trophy since the inception of the tournament in 2008 but hasn’t succeeded so far. This year again, RCB is on the hunt for the finals berth with the same old mission of winning the trophy.

So far, RCB has had a good outing with the new skipper Faf du Plessis in charge of the team. The Red Army have won two out of the three matches they have played so far. RCB lost their opening encounter against Punjab Kings by five wickets. The team could not defend a target of 206 runs with PBKS winning the match with one over to spare.

However, RCB made a strong comeback in their previous two matches, winning both of them against Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals. The side will be up against the five-time champions in their upcoming match and will look to win three matches on the trot.

Here’s the predicted Playing XI of Royal Challengers Bangalore for Match 18 of IPL 2022:

Openers: Faf du Plessis and Anuj Rawat

Skipper Faf du Plessis and Anuj Rawat have been decent for their side. The duo stitched a valuable partnership of 50+ runs in their previous match against Rajasthan Royals. Skipper Du Plessis scored an excellent 88 off 57 in his debut match for the Red Army. Meanwhile, the 22-year-old stroked 21 runs in 20 balls.

However, the opening duo failed to perform in their second game against Kolkata Knight Riders. Both Du Plessis and Rawat will have the job to provide a stable start to their team in the upcoming match against the five-time champions Mumbai Indians. It will be interesting to see how the openers go up against the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Tymal Mills, and Murugan Ashwin.

Middle-order: Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik, Glenn Maxwell 

The Red Army is expected to have the services of star batter Glenn Maxwell for their fourth match of the season. The big-man is expected to replace the West Indies cricketer Shefane Rutherford in the playing XI. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli will continue to bat at the number three position, on which he has been playing in the middle for a very long time, and that’s the position that works best for him.

Wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has been in sublime touch in the tournament so far. Karthik has impressed with the scores of (32 off 14 balls), (14 off 7 balls), and a match-winning knock of 44 runs against Rajasthan Royals in RCB’s previous match. With the addition of Maxwell, RCB’s middle order looks a very strong one and the batters will be hoping to score vital runs for their team in the upcoming match.

All-rounders: Wanindu Hasaranga, Shahbaz Ahmed, David Willey

After going for plenty in the first match, Sri Lankan all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga made a strong comeback in his last two matches. The 24-year old scalped four wickets against KKR and gave away only 20 runs in his four overs. The leg-spinner managed to scalp a crucial wicket of skipper Sanju Samson in the previous game and is expected to retain his position.

Left-handed batter Shahbaz Ahmed has also played a crucial role in his team’s performance in the tournament so far. He played a vital inning of 27 in just 20 balls against KKR and was involved in a match-winning partnership with Karthik in the previous match against RR. The batter scored 45 runs in just 26 balls, smashing four fours and three big sixes.

England left-arm pacer David Willey has been doing his job very quietly for the Red Army. The 32-year old has managed to scalp only one wicket so far, but he has been bowling with good control and keeping the run rate in check for his team. Willey is also expected to retain his position in the playing XI for RCB.

Bowlers: Harshal Patel, Akash Deep, Mohammad Siraj

Purple Cap holder in the previous season, Harshal Patel has been impressive in IPL 2022 as well. Apart from the first game against PBKS, Harshal has been economical for the Red Army. The right-arm pacer has been given the job of bowling death overs for the Red Army and so far, he is doing well.

Just like Harshal, Mohammed Siraj has bowled extremely well with the new ball and has kept the batters quiet, apart from taking a few crucial wickets for his side. However, the 28-year old was on the expensive side in a game against RR and will look to improve his performance against the five-time champions. Pacer Akash Deep who has taken four wickets in three games is also expected to retain his side in the playing XI.

RCB’s predicted playing XI: Faf du Plessis (c), Anuj Rawat, Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Shahbaz Ahmed, Wanindu Hasaranga, David Willey, Harshal Patel, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj.