Defending champions Mumbai have won the toss and opted to field against Royal Challengers Bangalore. In a big boost, Hardik Pandya has been declared fit and returns to the squad after missing the previous two games due to injury. For RCB, Saini, Hasaranga and Tim David are out. Shahbaz, Dan Christian and Jamieson are in. The outfield is quite superb here. It's a fresh pitch for today's game. It's a very hard and compact surface and there is a nice grass coverage. Bangalore have struggled in the UAE after being outclassed by CSK and KKR.
Speaking at the toss, Rohit Sharma said, : We are gonna bowl first. We have tried everything in the two games we played and I though a score in front us to have a crack would be ideal. Important to focus on game in hand and keep ticking those small boxes. He (Hardik) is very passionate about the game and passionate about his comeback, from a team's perspective it's a great boost for us. On the other hand Kohli said, Would have bowled first as well, don't think the track will change much. We had a team chat together and we haven't been outplayed and made some mistakes ourselves. When the crunch moment arrives, you have to back yourself and that's been the chat to play expressive cricket. It's about executing them with courage. They are one of the strongest sides in the IPL and are a very difficult side to play against and want to match the intensity and belief. We will have to be at the top of our game tonight.
