In a dramatic turn of events at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, the home crowd once again voiced their displeasure towards Mumbai Indians’ new captain, Hardik Pandya, during the toss of the IPL 2024 match against Royal Challengers Bangalore. As Pandya strode out to the middle for the pre-match proceedings, a loud chorus of boos echoed through the stands, making it clear that the Mumbai fans have not forgiven the star all-rounder. This is not the first time Pandya has faced such a hostile reception from the home crowd, a testament to the high expectations and passion of the Mumbai faithful.
Toss News – @mipaltan have won the toss and elect to bowl first against @RCBTweets.
Live – https://t.co/7yWt2ui23H #TATAIPL #IPL2024 #MIvRCB pic.twitter.com/ajXbJkD7MB — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 11, 2024
Cheers for RCB at the Wankhede
In stark contrast, the arrival of the Royal Challengers Bangalore players, led by their charismatic captain Faf du Plessis, was met with a roar of approval from the spectators. The Wankhede faithful, known for their unwavering support of the Mumbai Indians, seemed to have temporarily set aside their loyalties and embraced the visiting team, reflecting the broad appeal of the IPL and the diverse fan base it has cultivated.
Toss and Team Lineups
After the eventful toss, where Pandya elected to bowl first, the stage was set for an intriguing encounter between two teams eager to secure a crucial victory. The RCB lineup featured several in-form players, including the dynamic duo of Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell, while the Mumbai Indians boasted the ever-reliable Jasprit Bumrah leading their bowling attack.
Both Team Captains At The Toss
Faf du Plessis – We’ve tried to change things, so we’ve given chances to some of our players, some new players and it’s up to them to take the opportunity. It’s important to give players a decent run, but we’ve found ourselves in a stage where we haven’t done well, so it’s time to make changes. One thing that’s important is to be consistent and that’s where we’ve been disappointing. But we know we can turn this around. We would have fielded as well, chasing at this ground is the better option, but the pitch looks good. We’ve got three changes – Jacks debuts and he’ll come in at 3, Mahipal and Vyshak are back.
Hardik Pandya – We will bowl first. It looks like a similar track, but it might get better to bat on under lights. There was a bit of dew as well, so chasing could be a better option. The mood before and after the win was different, we’ll need to start well, put the pressure and then take the game forward. We got the highest score without anyone getting to 50, that gives you plenty of confidence. Bowling well in the powerplay was crucial. One change – Shreyas Gopal comes in place of PC
Playing XIs
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis(c), Will Jacks, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Dinesh Karthik(w), Mahipal Lomror, Reece Topley, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep.
Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan(w), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Mohammad Nabi, Shreyas Gopal, Jasprit Bumrah, Gerald Coetzee, Akash Madhwal.
Impact Subs
Mumbai Indians Subs: Suryakumar Yadav, Dewald Brevis, Naman Dhir, Nehal Wadhera, Harvik Desai
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Subs: Suyash Prabhudessai, Saurav Chauhan, Swapnil Singh, Rajan Kumar, Karn Sharma