IPL 2020: MI vs RCB Game Plan 2 – Do RCB need to hold back AB de Villiers?

MI vs RCB – The forty-eighth match of the IPL 2020 tournament between the teams, Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore, could all be about match-ups and AB de Villiers could be a key factor. We take a look at a key game plan that could play a role in the forty-eighth game of the IPL – MI vs RCB

MI vs RCB: The AB de Villiers factor

Going into the all-important match against defending champions Mumbai Indians, the Royal Challengers Bangalore have a big decision to make; the right batting position for AB de Villiers.

AB de Villiers has not only been their fastest scoring batsmen this season but also has been the sole rescuer of the team after the below-par scoring rate in middle overs. This makes it even more difficult for the management to make the decision; whether to play him at his normal batting position and expose him to the type of bowling he has found the most difficult to score against to better the scoring rate in middle overs, or to save him for the death overs against the kind of bowlers he loves to take on.

Leg-break and left-arm orthodox bowlers have managed to slow down AB in recent years, as compared to any other bowling types. And Mumbai in the middle overs have two bowlers who turn the ball away from AB, the right recipe to put the brakes on him. How has AB performed against the MI bowlers in recent times?

Among the current crop of bowlers who have bowled a minimum of 15 balls against AB de Villiers in IPL, Krunal and Chahar have managed to tie him down while Krunal has dismissed him 4 times in 47 deliveries too. Boult and Bumrah have not been able to trouble AB enough, and the fact that the former Proteas skipper absolutely hammered Bumrah earlier this season will hold him in good space.

ALSO READ: MI vs RCB – Game Plan 1 – The middle overs

Now comes the crucial decision for RCB to make if they want to send AB at 4 in order to up the ante in middle overs or they shield him from the spinners and maximize his potential against the pacers. The last time they decided to hold AB de Villiers back was against KXIP and the result was terrible. However, MI are one opposition against whom they can certainly think of redoing that. Especially when they have Moeen Ali in the XI who they can use to take on spinners in middle overs.