AB de Villiers loves the "MI"ghty Challenge

The Royal Challengers are gearing up for the next clash against Rohit Sharma’s Mumbai Indians tomorrow at the Dubai International Stadium. The last time the two teams faced, RCB emerged victoriously, winning the match by two wickets while chasing 160 runs in 20 overs. Harshal Patel was the wrecker-in-chief as he annihilated the Mumbai Indians’ batting attack. He shone on his return for Royal Challengers Bangalore, registering a five-wicket haul. In that process, he became the first bowler to claim a five-wicket haul against Mumbai Indians in the history of IPL. His spell was instrumental in restricting Mumbai Indians to a decent total of 159. 

On the batting front, Virat Kohli's & Glenn Maxwell's contribution of 33 & 39 runs with the bat provided a platform for the other batsmen to carry on. However, it was AB de Villiers, who provided the final flourish, contributing 48 runs in just 27 balls with four boundaries and two sixes, leading the team to their first win of the campaign.

ABD has so far featured in 178 IPL matches with 3,320 runs at an average of 40.22 with 40 fifties and three tons to his name. Against Mumbai Indians, he has amassed 774 runs in 24 appearances with a strike rate of 147.71. He also has a record for most runs scored by a foreign player against MI in the Indian Premier League. Needless to say, the Protea has always brought his A-game against our tomorrow’s opponents. 

Their most destructive bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, has managed to take AB's wicket only twice in this format. De Villiers, on the contrary, has scored 114 runs off 79 against the Indian pacer with a strike rate of 144.3. On the other hand, his compatriot Trent Boult has also struggled against the 37-year-old. AB has been severely harsh on the New Zealand pacer, managing to score 55 runs off 21 balls, and striking at over 261.9. 

It was against Mumbai Indians, where the Bold Army witnessed ABD's blitzkrieg with the bat scoring his highest IPL score of 133 runs off just 59 deliveries with 19 boundaries and 4 sixes in 2015.

Come Sunday, AB will look to continue his scintillating form against Mumbai Indians.