Virat Kohli of RCB and Will Jacks of MI during the practice session before the IPL match at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur on May 9, 2026. | Photo credit: Emmanual Yogini.
For the first time in two seasons, there appears to be some wear and tear on the otherwise well-oiled Royal Challengers Bengaluru machine.
The defending champions looked set to finish comfortably in the top two and seal their place in Qualifier 1 after six wins from their first eight games. But the consecutive losses have led the team directly into the fight of several teams for qualification for the playoffs.
The Rajat Patidar-led team will have to face uncharted territory at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur and overcome a rejuvenated Mumbai Indians team on Sunday (May 10, 2026) to arrest the slide.
The IPL bandwagon shifts to the Chhattisgarh capital for the first time since 2016. The small sample space of six games indicates that the venue has not had high scores, with 160 proving to be a winning total. But, in this era of blazing PowerPlay and persistent hitting down the middle, it remains to be seen if he will offer a fair contest between bat and ball.
After missing the previous match due to a back spasm, MI captain Hardik Pandya is yet to be declared fit for the upcoming match. The final decision will be made before the draw, the team management said. Suryakumar Yadav, who had returned home to attend the birth of his son, will join the team on the day of the match.
A brief but intense rain hit the stadium on the eve of the match, causing a slight delay in training. A returning drizzle forced teams to close ahead of schedule. Conditions are expected to improve greatly come game day. MI, especially, will hope the rain stays away. Anything less than two points will mean the team will miss the playoffs for the fourth time in six seasons.
Published – May 10, 2026 02:30 am IST