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The Mumbai Indians (MI) are in desperate need of a revival in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The five-time champions finished dead last in the points table at the end of the league stage of IPL 2022. They have made a couple of significant additions to their roster since.
Known to be slow starters, Rohit Sharma and Co. cannot afford to give the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) any leeway when they face them in Match 5 of IPL 2023 on Sunday, April 2.
Who will take the field for the Mumbai Indians in their first game of the new season? Here is MI's predicted playing XI for Match 5 of IPL 2023 against RCB.
RCB vs MI: MI Predicted Playing 11 vs RCB in IPL 2023
Picking MI's top order is a straightforward task. Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan will continue to open the batting for the five-time champions, with Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma following them in the lineup.
Marquee signing Cameron Green is bound to feature for MI, who will also have the power of Tim David to call upon. This would mean that young Dewald Brevis might have to be content with a role on the bench for now.
MI need all-rounders, and they might be forced into playing two of them in Ramandeep Singh and Hrithik Shokeen. While the former is a hard-hitting batter who can bowl a couple of useful overs, the latter is a canny off-spinner who impressed everyone with his temperament last year.
Jofra Archer will lead the MI bowling attack, which admittedly looks threadbare. Mumbai haven't named a replacement for Jhye Richardson yet, and Jason Behrendorff could be in line to partner Archer with the new ball.
The versatile Kumar Kartikeya could be MI's lead spinner in IPL 2023, with Piyush Chawla having underwhelmed in recent years in the league. The left-arm spinner might not be part of the playing XI if Rohit and Co. chase and could be brought in as an impact player.
Sandeep Warrier has been announced as Jasprit Bumrah's replacement, and he could straightaway play a role for MI against RCB. Mohammad Arshad Khan is another fast bowler who has reportedly been impressing the team management.
MI's team selection could depend on whether Green is fit to bowl or not. He went through his motions pretty well against India recently, but Cricket Australia have him on a workload management scheme that could hinder Mumbai's plans.
As of now, it seems like Green should be available to bowl. If so, he and Ramandeep will have to share the load of supporting Archer and Behrendorff. Kartikeya, meanwhile, will welcome assistance from Shokeen and perhaps even the part-time spin of Tilak.
MI's predicted playing XI for Match 5 of IPL 2023: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Cameron Green, Tim David, Ramandeep Singh, Hrithik Shokeen, Jofra Archer, Kumar Kartikeya, Jason Behrendorff.
Note: Playing XIs are bound to vary majorly in IPL 2023, with the introduction of the impact player rule as well as captains having the chance to name their side after the result of the toss is known.
