From being considered possible title contenders to staring down the barrel at an early elimination, Mumbai Indians’ season has been an absolute nightmare.

On Sunday in Raipur, Mumbai face the might of defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru. If they lose, they will fall out of the playoffs race. So it’s a matter of survival for the five-time champions.

To Mumbai’s advantage, they will probably be in a better frame of mind than RCB, who are coming off back-to-back defeats. Mumbai, on the contrary, won their last game, thanks to a flourishing opening stand between Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton.

Mumbai have done unthinkable things in the IPL in the past, so it wouldn’t be wise to take them lightly. Yes, too many things have gone wrong for them this season, but it’s still a team packed with quality players. Keeping that in mind, Mumbai will want Jasprit Bumrah to be at his best, as that could inspire the other bowlers.

There’s no clarity on the availability of skipper Hardik Pandya, who had sat out the last game. Hardik has travelled with the team to Raipur though.

RCB, on the other hand, will hope to rediscover their rhythm at their second home and avoid another slip.