Raipur, May 10 (IANS) Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the toss and elected to bowl first against Mumbai Indians here at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, RCB’s new home ground for the remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, in Raipur on Sunday.

There had been uncertainty around Suryakumar Yadav’s availability after he travelled home for the birth of his daughter, but he continues to lead the five-time champions in the absence of regular skipper Hardik Pandya, who continues to be monitored for a back issue.

RCB arrive in Raipur looking to arrest a worrying dip in form. Consecutive defeats against GT and LSG have pushed them down to fourth place, tightening the race for the playoff spots. Phil Salt’s return is timely for RCB, but concerns linger about their bowling attack, especially with Josh Hazlewood struggling recently. Rain limited team training, but a win tonight could boost their top-four position as rivals close in.

Mumbai Indians, meanwhile, head into this contest with little margin for error. Placed ninth on the table, every game from here feels like a knockout fixture for MI, who will once again lean heavily on the opening partnership of Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton, especially with the middle order struggling to deliver consistently this season.

Historically, Mumbai have dominated this rivalry with 19 wins in 35 meetings, though RCB have had the upper hand in recent encounters.

Winning the toss, RCB skipper Rajat Patidar said, “We will bowl first. Pretty obvious, the surface is good and pretty hard. But we will try to get them as early as possible and go on the chase. Conditions are not unfamiliar, to be honest. It’s a new stadium, good supporters, and a great outfield, I would say, and everyone is looking forward to the game. We are going with the same team. Yes, we had a couple of losses, but it’s important to be in the present and play on your strengths. So we will be focusing more on ourselves rather than on other teams. I don’t think that there are one or two particular areas. Wherever it is. If we play in the Power-play or if we play after the Power-play, we will look to do whatever best we can do.”

MI’s stand-in captain Suryakumar, meanwhile, said, “We are pretty confident to bat first. Big ground, black soil wicket, and runs on the board will always put pressure on the other team. We are going with the same team. We have always had a good chat around the bowling. It’s harsh on the bowlers. We keep trying to improve and get better each day.”

Playing XIs:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Jacob Bethell, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam Dar

Impact substitutes: Devdutt Padikkal, Jordan Cox, Mangesh Yadav, Suyash Sharma, Venkatesh Iyer

Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Will Jacks, Raj Bawa, Corbin Bosch, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, AM Ghazanfar

Impact substitutes: Raghu Sharma, Mayank Rawat, Robin Minz, Shardul Thakur, Trent Boult

–IANS

vi/bsk/