Mumbai Indians would be keen to make their case for a top four finish even stronger, as they take on Royal Challengers Bangalore at home, in an afternoon game on Sunday.

Having won five games in a row, Mumbai Indians are the team in form, and would fear nothing when they go against the strong batting line up of Royal Challengers Bangalore. Mumbai Indians were terrific against the same opposition in Bangalore a few days back, scoring in excess of 200, to post their first win of the season. Rohit Sharma’s men know that doing a double against the Virat Kohli led outfit would put them in a great position, to secure a place in the play-offs.

Mumbai Indians were criticized for playing a batsman less at the start of the season. They persisted with that decision, and eventually proved their critics wrong, with all their batsmen coming to form. Openers Lendl Simmons and Parthiv Patel have been greatly instrumental to the team’s turnaround. Their 84-run stand on a turning track in Chennai on Friday played a big role in the team’s win, and the team management would be hoping to see a similar start from the duo on Sunday too. Simmons scored a brilliant fifty against the RCB in Bangalore, and would be hoping to come up with a similar performance. It certainly won’t be easy against an inform Mitchell Starc, and the openers need to handle the Australian carefully.

The likes of Rohit Sharma, Kieron Pollard, Ambati Rayudu have all shown good form throughout the season, and that has given the team management a lot of confidence. Rayudu has not been dismissed in the last four games, scoring 30-plus in three of those four games, and that has allowed the team that momentum to shift gears in later overs. Hardik Pandya turned out to be an unlikely hero with his eight-ball 21-run cameo on Friday, and has added to the depth of the batting unit.

Keeping Chris Gayle quiet was a key to the Paltan’s success in Bangalore, and the Mumbai Indian’s think tank would have their plans ready for the West Indian once again. Gayle scored a terrific hundred against KXIP on Thursday, and it would be crucial for the hosts to get rid of him early. The visitors have a lot of fire-power in their top order, with the likes of Kohli, AB de Villiers in their ranks, and hence, taking early wickets would be crucial. It would also be interesting to see how Mumbai Indians bowl against talented Mumbai cricketer Sarfaraz Khan.

Mumbai Indians (12) have a point more than Royal Challengers Bangalore, having played a game extra. And, it would be important for the Paltan to increase that gap to three points on Sunday.