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bottom of the points. Though the Paltan has a history of making stunning comebacks in the past; winning the trophy despite a poor start to their campaign. But last year was different. A series of defeats never allowed Rohit Sharma & Co to bounce back, leaving them to think a lot about the wrongs they did throughout the season.
This year, they look to start afresh but without the services of Jasprit Bumrah. The ace Indian speedster, who has been a lynchpin in the MI arsenal, will be a major missing as he is currently nursing a back injury and has been away from the action for more than six months now. But that void will be filled by the magical presence of Jofra Archer who missed out on the IPL 2022. However, playing both speed merchants together is still an unfulfilled dream of the franchise.
On the other hand, RCB will begin their hunt for their maiden title, which is going on since the inception of the tournament. For the last three seasons, the Bangalore-based outfit has managed to enter play-offs but have consistently failed to end up in the final. In due course, they even saw a major change in leadership when Virat Kohli happily stepped down after leading the team for a decade and the responsibility was handed to former South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis.
RCB comes into the contest with a brilliant mix of youth and experience. Veteran keeper-batter Dinesh Karthik will hold the key as he changes his get-up from a broadcaster to a player. Also, the absence of Rajat Patidar, who is going through rehab at the NCA, would leave a void. It would be interesting to see what impact it leaves on the RCB playing XI for their campaign opener.
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