Royal Challengers Bangalore are currently on a seven-match losing streak in UAE. While they lost five games at the back end of last season, they have already lost two matches in IPL 2021. Most importantly, in the ongoing campaign, their position is looking vulnerable on the points table. They will next face Mumbai Indians at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on September 26th. Both teams are be under pressure, and RCB will want to win the game and stop the slide. In this article, we talk about two changes RCB should make against Mumbai Indians to arrest the losing streak in UAE.
1) Kyle Jamieson for Wanindu Hasaranga
One of the changes RCB should make against Mumbai Indians is to bring New Zealand pacer Kyle Jamieson in place of Wanindu Hasaranga. The Sri Lankan all-rounder is yet to bring magic to IPL and has failed in both departments of the game. It will be risky to include him in the game against Mumbai Indians.
On the other hand, Kyle Jamieson has been decent so far in the tournament. Moreover, with the likes of Kieron Pollard in the opposition, Kyle’s height would be of good use. The Kiwi has also shown shades of his batting abilities, and RCB will be hoping that he can bring out a top performance soon.
2) Shahbaz Ahmed for Navdeep Saini
Yuzvendra Chahal showed signs of returning to form, and hence, it might be okay to drop Hasaranga. In that case, Shahbaz Ahmed would be the apt replacement for the struggling Navdeep Saini. Glenn Maxwell and Tim David along with Shahbaz can complete four overs and provide support to Chahal. Saini anyways does not look to have improved his skills and could be dropped.
Shahbaz is a better bet with the bat at the moment compared to the likes of Sachin Baby. The West Bengal all-rounder has the experience of playing in UAE last season. Also, he is a left-hander, and therefore, RCB could field some variety in the lower middle-order, which looked stale in the last two games. Depending on the game situation, RCB could use him as a floater in the batting department.
