IPL 2019: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli eye maiden win this season in clash

Mumbai Indians' Jasprit Bumrah (left) and Yuvraj Singh during a practice session in Bangalore yesterday. Pic/PTI

When the Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore named their playing XIs for the tournament opener last week, the first thought that came to mind was, how can two domestic teams go in with such diametrically opposite bowling attacks on the same track? But for all his fantastic feats with the bat, Virat Kohli's ability to pick the right XI has always come under the scanner, whatever the format and whichever team he's leading.

Going by the first game at least, the presence of Gary Kirsten, who was head coach when India won the 2011 World Cup but here in RCB is restricted to being part of a 'coaching leadership group', hasn't made much of a difference.

It's so different with Rohit Sharma, deputy to Kohli in Indian white-ball teams, and long-time skipper of Mumbai Indians. Easily the more calmer of the two, Rohit's issues in previous IPLs had more do with his own batting position rather than team composition. Keep the faith seems to be Rohit's credo, while Kohli is all about chop and change.

Both teams though head into tonight's encounter here with an opening game loss to contend with. While the RCB batsmen were caught out on a pitch that was very poor advertisement for a T20 game, MI's famed bowling was torn apart by the Delhi Capitals. The slaying though took a backseat when it ended with the falling of Jasprit Bumrah, the nation's biggest hope with the ball for the World Cup.

Of course, the good news for all is that Bumrah is back on his feet and although there's no final word on him playing tonight, the possible addition of Lasith Malinga, who was expected to land late last night, will be a boost. Bumrah did have a bowl at the nets last evening and his fitness was to be assessed later.

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