Battle Royale: MI seek to tick away box - Mumbai Indians

His returns — five wickets at an economy rate of 5.92 — are superb to say the least.

Context

Winning changes everything. The boys will agree. Well, it’s time to make it a habit. Not to forget, we have gotten out of tricky positions in the seasons gone by. We ticked the box at home. Now, it’s time to do it on the road. Our opponents, Rajasthan Royals, are not in the best of shape. After a Sanju Samson special helped them floor the Royal Challengers Bangalore (two days before we did!), RR have stuttered on two occasions. First, they lost to Kolkata Knight Riders. And, on Friday night, Shane Watson punished them. A win at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium will pump us up as we head back home to meet Sunrisers Hyderabad (and celebrate Sachin’s 45th!) and then travel to Pune (Chennai Super Kings), Bangalore and Indore (Kings XI Punjab) for tougher challenges. That said, RR are still a place above us on the points table. They have played a game more, though. There will be very little room for error in this contest. Time to put on your game face!

In The Spotlight

Mumbai Indians

First things first, Ishan Kishan is alright. Now, it’s time for him to express himself. Much like he did against Delhi Daredevils. We need more such knocks from Kishan, and we need them on a regular basis. Sunday is not a bad time to start. That first-ball dismissal off the bowling of Umesh Yadav ought to be just an aberration. Neither Kishan nor the team can afford a terrible start like that again. Kishan should, instead, feel good about the support he has received from Rohit Sharma who, incidentally, is one of the best openers in world cricket. The skipper made it categorically clear that he was batting at No. 4 only so that Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav could grow into their respective roles as one-down and opener. It’s time for Kishan to make the most of this opportunity and repay the faith.

Mustafizur Rahman went for 55 runs against RCB. He bowled the fourth, sixth, 16th and 19th overs, conceding 13, 11, 13 and 18 runs respectively. We know he’s much, much better than that. And he showed that against Sunrisers Hyderabad (3/24) and Delhi Daredevils (1/25). Let’s hope he rediscovers his rhythm. Once he is song, he can threaten any batsman with his repertoire and discipline. He needs to be wary of the big hitters in the opposite camp, especially Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler. Rahman needs to devote time on honing his fielding skills too. You can’t drop catches at this level. Certainly not the kind of easy ones he grassed.

Rajasthan Royals

Ajinkya Rahane scoring range this season: 13-45. After from the fact that he’s got off to a decent start on each of his five outings this season, it implies that a big one is around the corner. Rahane would be keen to alter his and RR’s fortunes by playing a long innings against MI. And that’s all the more reason why we need to get him out early.

Ben Stokes has scored only 107 runs in five innings so far. His performance with the ball has been even less impressive: a solitary wicket (Washington Sundar) in 11 overs at an economy rate of 10.63. But we know he is a big-match player. And he’s due a top performance with bat, ball or both. Yuzvendra Chahal, Piyush Chawla and Imran Tahir — all leggies — have got him out this season. Pacers Billy Stanlake and Trent Boult also got him. Don’t be surprised if you see Mayank Markande in action when Stokes is at the crease.

Key Clashes

K Gowtham vs Suryakumar Yadav Gowtham has opened the bowling in four of RR’s five matches thus far. He bowled first-change in the other game. His returns — five wickets at an economy rate of 5.92 — are superb to say the least. Yadav is a smart player of spin. This contest will make for absorbing viewing because the players in question know each other well. After all, they represent Karnataka and Mumbai, the two big daddies of domestic cricket.

Number Game

Head to Head MI lead 10-6

Form GuideMI: WLLLWRR: LLWWL

Last 5 Matches MI have won four of the last five encounters. But it counts for nothing because the rivalry is resuming after a gap of 1,088 days!

 

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