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'Haarcb se toh jeet hee jayenge' - Fans positive about Mumbai breaking their opening game jinx in ITL 2023 opener against Bangalore

Mumbai have lost the last ten campaign openers in the Indian T20 League. They'll face Bangalore in 2023's opener on Sunday.

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Mumbai and Bangalore to clash in campaign opener

Mumbai and Bangalore to clash in campaign opener (Source: Twitter)

Mumbai will kick off their Indian T20 League (ITL) 2023 campaign on Sunday against Bangalore. Notably, Mumbai has never won their first game of the ITL since the 2013 season. If they end on the losing side in Sunday's game, this will mark the eleventh consecutive season that Mumbai have lost their opening game.

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However, Mumbai's record has been good despite questionably opening their season. This season the team from the financial capital would be looking to improve from their last ITL season, where they finished at the bottom of the table. Rohit Sharma, the league's most successful captain with five titles, will once again be leading Mumbai.

Rohit Sharma and Jofra Archer are fit to play against Bangalore

Both captain Rohit Sharma and bowler Jofra Archer will be available for Sunday's ITL opener against Bangalore, according to head coach Mark Boucher. "Yes, Rohit is fit. He has trained the last two days and is 100 per cent ready to go. I think he didn't feel particularly well that morning, and just as a precaution, we told him to stay at home… Jofra is good; he is 100 per cent ready for tomorrow. He didn't train today; it was an optional training session," Boucher said at the pre-match press conference on Saturday.

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The ITL's longest-running teams, Bangalore and Mumbai, have faced off 30 times on the pitch. Bangalore won 13 of the 30 games between the two teams, while the Mumbai franchise won 17. It's interesting to note that Bangalore has defeated Mumbai just once in their last five matches, which occurred in October 2020. It will be fascinating to see whether Bangalore can get a lead over Rohit Sharma and Co. in the opening game.

The M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, on the other hand, has hosted 10 games between the two teams. However, despite the home advantage for Bangalore, Mumbai won 8 games, while Bangalore won just two.

Here's how fans reacted to Mumbai's unique record:

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Royal Challengers Bangalore featured Twitter Reactions IPL 2023 Mumbai Indians