Pathan pointed out that while RCB started strongly at home, their form dipped once they hit the road.“RCB are travelling now. When they played their first two games at home, they won comfortably, but the moment they went on the road, they lost in Guwahati against Rajasthan Royals, so, there will be a few questions in the camp. I feel the game might be decided by which team bowls better in the end overs, and the toss will be an important factor too. RCB have the form, but in a man-to-man comparison, I feel Mumbai are slightly ahead,” Pathan said on JioHotstar, as the league enters its ‘Rivalry Week’.

Pathan emphasised that execution in the final overs could ultimately determine the outcome, especially in conditions where chasing teams often hold an advantage. While RCB’s recent performances give them confidence, he believes MI’s squad depth provides a slight advantage in a direct comparison. MI vs RCB: Predicted Playing 11sMumbai Indians predicted XI: Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (c), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit BumrahImpact Sub: Sherfane RutherfordRoyal Challengers Bengaluru predicted XI: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt/Jacob Bethell, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, Josh HazlewoodImpact Sub: Suyash Sharma