MI vs RCB, IPL 2023: Mumbai Indians ready to paint Bengaluru Blue and Gold

Bengaluru: Stop the countdown. Ready your alarms. Bring on that Blue and Gold jersey and be ready to shout: Mumbaaiiiii!!!! Mumbaaiiii. It’s 358 days since the last cricket match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians, with the seven-wicket loss still fresh in visitors' minds.

The lessons were learnt, and now, it is time to show how hungrier and more prepared MI are to get the momentum back in our hands. Also, it’s high time MI learn from the women’s team and reverse their first match jinx.

A new think-tank, a new batting coach and a renewed confidence in the camp. MI, the five-time champions, are here to put the smiles back on their faces. New player battles, old rivalries renewed. It’s all to play here.

Ahead of the first game, head coach Mark Boucher calmly approached the first wave of questions coming his way. A domineering person in his own right, the gaffer was in awe of Jofra Archer's commitment as be a MI-ker.

"Jof (Jofra Archer) is good. He is a 100 per cent for tomorrow. He didn't train today. We had a couple of optional training sessions. He felt was ready to put out some sparks tomorrow. We are happy about the progression he has made since the last few days he has been with us. So yeah, he might probably being playing tomorrow."

It is a few hours away until fans would see ‘Hitman’ Rohit, Aapla Dada Surya, ‘Pocket Dynamo’ Ishan Kishan and the rest of the boys in action. The cricket fever in Mumbai has spanned generations, and MI recently marked a decade of our first IPL trophy. (UNI)