New Delhi, April 12 Former India left-arm pacer Irfan Pathan believes that while defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) carry momentum into their high-stakes IPL 2026 clash with Mumbai Indians (MI), the latter holds a marginal edge in terms of individual personnel.
Both sides are respectively coming off a mauling at the hands of the Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati. “RCB are travelling now. When they played their first two games at home, they won comfortably, but the moment they went on the road, they lost in Guwahati against Rajasthan Royals.
"So, there will be a few questions in the camp. I feel the game might be decided by which team bowls better in the end overs, and the toss will be an important factor too. RCB have the form, but in a man-to-man comparison, I feel Mumbai are slightly ahead," said Pathan on JioHotstar, as the competition begins its 'Rivalry Week'.
Reflecting on Saturday's clash between Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), which the former won by six wickets, Pathan highlighted Shashank Singh’s unexpected bowling spell as the decisive factor that prevented the latter from posting a massive total.
"It was a game-changing moment. If not for those two wickets, which Shashank got both in the same over, Sunrisers would have made 250 easily. That was the kind of start Abhishek and Travis Head gave them; they lost their first wicket at 120," he observed.
Pathan also lauded the tactical acumen shown by the part-timer and the trust placed in him by skipper Shreyas Iyer. "Shashank, who doesn’t bowl regularly, asked for the ball himself. He went up to Shreyas and the captain showed confidence in him.
"He bowled with a plan, went wide to Abhishek, avoided bowling it full, and varied his pace. That was the game right there, the difference between 220 and 250, which could have made things tougher for Punjab. They are in some form at the moment," he added.
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