Five-time champions, Mumbai Indians expect better bowling in big clash with defending champs
Published Date – Friday, 12 May 23 at 08:40 AM
Five-time champions, Mumbai Indians expect better bowling in big clash with defending champs
Mumbai: Optimistic Mumbai Indians could be tested by top and defending champions Gujarat Titans in an important Indian Premier League game here on Friday.
Five-time winners MI looked promising in this IPL as they beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by six wickets here on Tuesday to move up to third in the standings. The way MI beat RCB – chasing 200 runs in 17 overs – once again highlighted just how successful their batting was, even as they reshuffled the order for the second consecutive match to improve their net run rate.
MI’s batting was all but unstoppable at Wankhede Stadium as they managed to chase 200 or over in two of their three tries despite their best batsman and captain Rohit Sharma scoring five single-digit runs in the trot The goal.
Even against the Punjab Kings, MI responded with 201 for 6 while chasing 215. MI’s problems this year, however, are not limited to Rohit’s form or the absence of Jasprit Bumrah or Jofra Archer, but their bowling has conceded four consecutive over 200 runs and is nearly again against RCB.
Opposite teams have won 214/8, 212/7 and 199/6 in their last three matches here, taking advantage of flat wickets and perfect batting conditions – something GT wants to aim for The goal. MI’s bowling was good against RCB, preventing them from charging in the mid-field game, but GT did not solve the problem of not having an in-form batsman like RCB.
Suryakumar Yadav’s 35-ball 83 and Nehal Wadhera’s second 50 of the season gave MI a landslide win over RCB, but the hosts knew they couldn’t afford to make any mistakes against a mighty GT, who had largely Leading the way, largely unchallenged.
The recovery of Suryakumar was the biggest positive for MI, with the likes of Ishan Kishan, Cameron Green, Tim David and Tilak Varma contributing most of the points. Whether Varma will be fit for Friday’s game remains to be seen.
However, the game may depend heavily on how MI’s free-flowing batsmen fare against the eight-run spin of Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad, who thrived alongside the Afghan veterans. With 8 wins in 11 games, GT is on the verge of making the playoffs and becoming the first team to make it.
Captain Hardik Pandya and coach Ashish Nehra have managed to create a favorable environment for players who have also flourished for the team this year, making them serious title contenders for the second consecutive year.
The highlight for GT is that they haven’t lost any of their away games, and all three losses so far have come at home in Ahmedabad. The opening duo of Shubman Gill and Wriddhiman Saha posed a big threat, while GT had a long line of batsmen who could up the ante for big totals.
Hardik and David Miller fired with the bat, while the presence of the dangerous Rahultwatia added more trouble to the opposition. In fact, GT scored their highest ever IPL total of 227 with a 56-run win over Lucknow Supergiants.
With Wankhede a batsman’s paradise, GT will take inspiration from their meeting with MI earlier this season. While recording an overall 55-run victory, GT amassed 207/6 and held MI to a paltry 152/9.
