Recovery mode: MI and RCB seek to turn fortunes around

MI and RCB suffered losses, now looking to bounce back. Mumbai Indians were beaten, while Royal Challengers Bangalore also faced a setback. Both teams aim to regroup and turn their fortunes around in their next matches. MI and RCB are looking to bounce back from those tough losses to Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati. MI's struggling with one win in three games, while RCB's had a better run but stumbled against RR. This Sunday night match at Wankhede Stadium is a chance for both to get back on track. For RCB, that one defeat seemed to be just that - one defeat. That they got past 200 against RR despite being six down in the 11th over showed their depth of resources, and if their bowlers took a pounding, the fact that Josh Hazlewood was back was in itself a source of positivity. MI, however, seem to have problems. Their bowlers have struggled for both wickets - they've only taken ten in all in three games so far - and economy, and their attack seems over-dependent on Jasprit Bumrah. Their batting line-up is a list of familiar, formidable names, but the flip side is the sense it sometimes gives of being slightly behind the times. Where a number of other teams have unearthed stars for the future, MI seem to lack some of that new-age cutting edge. Mitchell Santner is likely to return to the Mumbai Indians' lineup against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, having recovered from a shoulder injury that forced him to miss the game against Rajasthan Royals. He trained with the team on Friday and Saturday, indicating he's fit to replace AM Ghazanfar. Santner's return is a big boost for MI, given his ability to control the middle overs with his left-arm spin and contribute with the bat in pressure situations. Abhinandan Singh, who has played all three of RCB's games so far, had a rough night against RR, going for 54 in just three overs. If RCB want to pull him away from the firing line for a bit, they could bring in either Rasikh Salam or Mangesh Yadav, the Madhya Pradesh left-arm seamer they signed for INR 5.2 crore at the player auction. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's head-to-head stats are pretty evenly matched. Kohli has a slight edge, with 922 runs in 34 matches at an average of 31.79 and a strike rate of 128.77, including six fifties. Rohit Sharma has 629 runs in 26 matches at an average of 27.34 and a strike rate of 142, with four fifties and a best score of 94. It's interesting to note that Kohli is just nine runs away from reaching 1000 runs in these games. Mumbai Indians have a 21-14 head-to-head record against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, but RCB has won three of the last five matches. The Wankhede is an out-and-out bowl-first venue in night games, with dew almost always playing a role during run chases. Recent results at Pitch No. 8 - on which Sunday's game is set to be played - paint a balanced picture, with the chasing team winning four and losing three of the last seven IPL games there, but run rates tell a different story, with teams going at 10.10 in the second innings of those matches compared to 9.58 in the first. Spin has been more economical than pace in these seven games, as overall economy rates of 8.58 and 10.13 would suggest, though one must bear in mind that fast bowlers tend to take on the bulk of the high-scoring powerplay and death overs.