Is Quinton de Kock playing tonight? MI provide playing XI hint for IPL 2021 opener

Mumbai Indians (MI) are all set to begin their IPL title defence as they take on Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the opening encounter of the IPL 2021 on Friday, April 9 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The MI vs RCB live streaming will commence at 7:30 PM (IST). Ahead of the high-voltage clash, fans are left wondering "Is Quinton de Kock playing tonight?"

MI vs RCB live: Is Quinton de Kock playing tonight?

Quinton de Kock will be unavailable for Mumbai Indians' opening match against RCB. The former South African captain recently joined Mumbai Indians after playing the first two ODIs against Pakistan at home. According to the BCCI's protocols, De Kock will have to serve the mandatory one week of quarantine. This means that Mumbai Indians will open with a new pair in the game against RCB.

The Mumbai franchise's official website also confirmed that De Kock won't be playing against RCB. The MI confirmed the same in a preview for their opening match on their official website. Mumbai released a statement saying that captain Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock have been Mumbai Indians’ preferred opening pair for at least two years now.

The statement added that De Kock joined the MI camp after completing national duties, which is why he will undergo a mandatory 7-day quarantine and therefore, the game vs RCB will see a new pair open the game for the Men in Blue and Gold.

With De Kock unavailable, Chris Lynn is likely to open the batting alongside Rohit Sharma and make his debut for Mumbai Indians. The explosive Australian batsman, who was bought by the franchise at the IPL 2020 auction, warmed the bench for the entire season. Chris Lynn would like to make the most of the rare opportunity that he has got in Mumbai Indians' playing XI and secure his place in the side.

Mumbai Indians squad

Rohit Sharma (Captain), Quinton de Kock, Jasprit Bumrah, Chris Lynn, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Trent Boult, Krunal Pandya,   Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Anmolpreet Singh, Saurabh Tiwary, Aditya Tare, Anukul Roy, Mohsin Khan, Rahul Chahar, Jayant Yadav, Dhawal Kulkarni, Adam Milne, Nathan Coulter Nile, Piyush Chawla, James Neesham, Yudhvir Charak, Marco Jansen, Arjun Tendulkar.

SOURCE: IPLT20.COM