RCB Predicted to Drop Struggling Players Ahead of Match vs MI

It’s another double-header Sunday for T20 Cricket in the IPL. Today’s matches feature the Lucknow Super Giants vs the Gujarat Titans, as well as the Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs the Mumbai Indians. The second match is significant because of some news involving Phil Salt.

Changes happen all the time in sports. In the NHL, a game lasts 60 minutes; however, most players aren’t on the ice for more than 20-25 minutes. Cricket is most similar to the MLB, where the sides change from defensive play to offensive play, with the same players performing both duties.

With this in mind, here are some predictions, a pitch report, and the squads for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Mumbai Indians match.

RCB vs MI Match Predictions

RCB will face the Mumbai Indians for the first time this IPL tournament. This is a big match, as both clubs look to rebound from losses to the Vaibhav Suryavanshi-led Rajasthan Royals.

Google is favorably inclined toward the Indians, giving them a 57% chance of winning.

Additionally, others are predicting changes to RCB’s playing XI, primarily for two players.

Phil Salt & Abhinandan Singh

Indian Sports Netwrk on X is predicting that RCB will be dropping both Phil Salt and Abhinandan Singh from their playing XI against MI.

“There are going to be two changes in the RCB team today,” the user wrote. “The opening slot is going to change. An Indian batter will open alongside Virat Kohli. Abhinandan Singh and Phil Salt are going to be dropped from the team today.”

“Jacob Duffy is going to come into the team in place of Abhinandan Singh. Suyash Sharma will be in the playing XI today.”

Salt is not in form yet this tournament. The batter has collected only 54 runs in three matches, an average of 18 runs per match. In RCB’s latest match, he recorded a duck on a single delivery.

Additionally, Abhinandan also struggled against RR. In three overs, the bowler coughed up 54 runs in addition to collecting a meek two dot balls.

At this point, taking these two players out and replacing them with Jacob Duffy and Suyash Sharma will give both players a much-needed reset.

RCB vs MI Pitch Report

CricTracker has offered a pitch report heading into tonight’s match between these two great franchises.

“The Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai has been extremely friendly in terms of its pitch offering assistance to the batters,” the outlet reports. “That said, it does not mean that bowlers do not enjoy their time in the middle. The pitch, in fact, starts getting a little slower as the night progresses, which can allow bowlers who deliver slower through the air get important breakthroughs.”

With this in mind, it’s likely that whoever wins the toss will choose to bat first. That will give them a tactical advantage by bowling second and having the pitch work to their advantage.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Mumbai Indians Players

Here are the full squads for both teams heading into today’s match on April 12th, 2026.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Squad

Batters: Rajat Patidar, Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, & Jordan Cox.

All-Rounders: Krunal Pandya, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethell, Venkatesh Iyer, Satvik Deswal, Mangesh Yadav, Vicky Ostwal, Vihaan Malhotra, & Kanishk Chouhan

Bowlers: Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Dar, Suyash Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Nuwan Thushara, Abinandan Singh, Jacob Duffy, & Yash Dayal.

Mumbai Indians Squad

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