Mumbai Indians vs. Royal Challengers Bangalore – Indian Premier League, April 9, 2021

The 2021 IPL season gets underway on Friday, April 9, with defending champions Mumbai Indians facing off against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Chennai.

RCB beat MI following a dramatic super over last year, although Mahela Jayawardene’s men gained their revenge with a five-wicket victory in the reverse fixture. Can Bangalore upset the odds on the opening day of the new campaign?

You can find my Mumbai Indians vs. Royal Challengers Bangalore prediction and pick below.

As you would expect, the top online sports betting sites expect MI (1.62) to kick off the 2021 Indian Premier League season with a win. After all, they are the reigning champs.

RCB (2.15) can take confidence from their performances against Mumbai last season, although there is no denying that Bangalore deserves the outsider tag in this matchup.

It goes without saying that Mumbai Indians will be looking to pick up where they left off last season when they open their 2021 IPL account on Friday.

Once again, the Mumbai franchise was the best team in the Indian Premier League last year – finishing two points clear at the top of the table before beating Delhi Capitals by five wickets in the final.

Jasprit Bumrah (27) and Trent Boult (25) finished second and third, respectively, in the wicket-taking charts, while Ishan Kishan (516), Quinton de Kock (503), and Suryakumar Yadav (480) all finished inside the top seven on the run-scoring leaderboard.

With several notable new additions – including Jimmy Neesham and Adam Milne – in the squad, the defending champions look set for another season of dominance.

It is no secret that Bangalore has never won the Indian Premier League. In fact, the franchise’s struggles have been well documented over the years.

In Virat Kohli, the Royal Challengers possess the IPL’s all-time leading run-scorer. However, the India captain has never been able to lead his side to IPL glory.

RCB spent big at the 2021 IPL auction, acquiring overseas stars such as Glenn Maxwell, Kyle Jamieson, and Dan Christian. Retaining guys like AB de Villiers, Washington Sundar, Adam Zampa, and Daniel Sams was also imperative.

Simon Katich’s men can take confidence from the fact that they beat MI last season, with AB de Villiers hitting an unbeaten 55 in the process. RCB smashed 11 in the super over, clinching a rare victory over the Mumbai franchise.

Still, the Royal Challengers only managed to win seven of their 14 regular-season matches in 2020 and eventually finished fourth.

Let’s face it – RCB could not have dreamed of a tougher way to kick off the 2021 Indian Premier League season. Sure, the Royal Challengers boast undeniable quality. But getting the better of Mumbai won’t be easy.

In the second meeting between these teams last season, Yadav smashed 79* off 43 balls as MI clinched an easy win over Bangalore. Ultimately, I expect a similar outcome this time around.

The MI win is my Mumbai Indians vs. Royal Challengers Bangalore pick.