Two giants of the IPL meet on the 9th of April at the MCA Stadium in Pune, with the Royal Challengers Bangalore taking on the mighty Mumbai Indians, and our player to watch for this mouth-watering fixture is the man of the moment for Bangalore, Dinesh Karthik.
Dinesh Karthik has enjoyed an unbelievable start to IPL 2022, scoring 90 runs in three innings at a strike rate of 204 without being dismissed even once. The wicket-keeper batter has flourished in his role as a finisher for RCB, helping the team cross over the line in two tight run-chases against Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders.
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At 5.5 Cr, Karthik was one of RCB’s best purchases at the auction, and his ability to destroy pace at the death has helped the team mitigate the impact of not having AB de Villiers around anymore.
Against the Mumbai Indians, the experienced campaigner is going to come up against the best of the best at the death with the ball, Jasprit Bumrah. Bumrah has picked up the most wickets in the IPL since 2020, but DK has an excellent record against the Mumbai pacer, scoring 54 runs in 33 deliveries against Bumrah in the IPL since 2017 without being dismissed even once.
If Karthik can continue that form against Bumrah on an excellent batting wicket such as the MCA Stadium in Pune, RCB are likely to continue their winning momentum in IPL 2022, while Mumbai could be staring at a bleak four losses from four matches.
[Featured Image Credit: Rohit Sharma FC]
Shivaan Shah