Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore seems to be a team on a mission. They are at the top of the table, a position that has not been a great friend over the years. More notably, with the column of losses still reading zero. Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings have rewound the clocks to the good ol’ days, and are steadily standing in the way of stopping RCB’s winning run.

And on a batting paradise like Mumbai, what can this contest produce is anybody’s guess. AB de Villiers has been in sensational form and maneuvered the slow Chepauk track enviously. Glenn Maxwell has broken his rut and has gotten more runs in three outings than he did in 13 in 2020. Contributions from Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli were due. They came at once and showed what happens to the opponents if they arrive together. And Harshal Patel’s death-bowling prowess cannot skip a mention.

For the Super Kings, the return of Suresh Raina has been the best of boosts they could have asked for the season. They bat even deeper than the deepest, and Moeen Ali has taken the onus to break their middle-phase lethargy; while Faf du Plessis’ unbeaten 95 against Kolkata Knight Riders was an exhibition of class meeting brutality.

Deepak Chahar and Sam Curran have been making the new ball talk. All that CSK now needs is a Dhoni dash, which was on display for a brief while against KKR. If that could extend a little longer, CSK will have time turned back truly.

CSK is known to stick with the same side. Having won the last game, there is no good reason for them to make amends in a winning combination.

So ruthlessly dominating was RCB’s performance in the previous encounter that they needed no more than their openers to seal the win. That means both Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers are yet to step out on Wankhede. They are most likely to go unchanged, but Mohammad Azharuddeen might get a look-in to bolster an already daunting batting order.