Preview by Ghcalive Staff
The IPL 2023 season of Mumbai Indians is back on track. The five-time champions are off to a decent start with three straight victories in five games. The Rohit Sharma team’s scenario seems promising after two victories up front. Absolutely fine. Exactly why not?
Ishan Kishan has gotten back to full strength; Suryakumar Yadav has regained his imperious touch; Cameron Green and Tim David are performing their duties flawlessly; Riley Meredith and Jason Behrendorff are bowling well together; veteran Piyush Chawla is at his cunning best, unleashing all of his experience to fox the batters; and even rookie Arjun Tendulkar has started to be both penetrative and restrictive.
Few people realise that Rohit has only one half-century overall in 12 innings across all forms since the scenario is so good. However, there aren’t many reasons to criticise the skipper’s performance. The rest of the squad is able to take advantage of his lightning-quick beginnings with the bat. The Mumbai Indians appear to have regained their mojo all of a sudden.
The group is interacting well as a unit. The top six batters have all made a difference. So for us, that’s a pretty exciting development. Guys are enjoying some time playing games. The most important thing for us is to continuously strive to improve just a little bit with each game. We have already won a couple of games, so we’ll just want to keep up the momentum, said Behrendorff, who has stepped up to lead the bowling in Jofra Archer’s absence.
The circumstances surrounding Archer are now somewhat mysterious. He was first benched from a game out of caution, but he hasn’t since played four straight games. The Barbados-born English spinner missed practise on Friday, the day before Mumbai Indians’ sixth game against Punjab Kings. A team representative stated, “It is an optional practise day. He might or might not be able to play in Saturday’s encounter at the Wankhede.
He has been working out hard. The medical staff is giving it their all. We are anticipating the medical staff to tick off all the boxes. He should be close to being totally fit, hoped Behrendorff on Friday. Although Archer’s involvement has lost some certainty, the team hasn’t missed him at all. Tendulkar Jr. and the other bowlers appear to be doing a great job.
As Harbhajan Singh properly noted, Shikhar Dhawan must be the team’s best batsman. The Punjab team’s seeming reliance on captain Shikhar Dhawan in the batting area raises serious questions. One player can help you win two or three games, but you cannot win a competition like the IPL. According to recent remarks made by a former India spinner about the Mohali team, if Punjab players are to improve, they must support their skipper and take charge.
Matthew Short is a good batter for the Punjab Kings, but they also need Liam Livingston to shine in the middle overs and hope that Kagiso Rabada will be able to play. According to reports, the South African felt under the weather for Thursday’s match at home against Royal Challengers Bangalore. He has travelled to Mumbai, and according to a team official, he should be ready to play on Friday. The Punjab side desperately needs him.
When: Saturday, April 22 at 19:30 IST
Where: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
PITCH REPORT
The pitch in this game will probably offer the batters excellent support. In the last five T20 games, 164 runs have been scored on average in the first inning. It might be a competitive game. The team winning the toss will probably decide to bowl because the team chasing the target has won the past five games here.
What to expect: The chance of dew could have an impact on the outcome of the toss. The pitch and the size of the field have helped batters somewhat, especially early in the season.
Punjab Kings trail Mumbai Indians by a score of 14 to 15.
Compare the two:
combinations of teams
Mumbai Indians:Unless Jofra Archer becomes healthy and prepared to play again, the team appears to be settled, and changes are unlikely. In that event, either Riley Meredith or Jason Behrendorff could step aside.
Strategies and matchups: One of the goals going into the game will be to have Mumbai’s veteran batters pull their weight. It may be difficult for Rohit to succeed against a bowling lineup full of left-arm pace and ball-turning bowlers, who are not his preferred bowlers. He has been fired 21 times since 2019, and opponents like Arshdeep, Curran, Chahar, and Harpreet Brar could pose problems.
Probable XI: Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Cameron Green, Tilak Varma, Tim David, Arjun Tendulkar, Nehal Wadhera, Hrithik Shokeen, Piyush Chawla, Jason Behrendoff
PBKS:Nathan Ellis could be replaced by Kagiso Rabada if spinners Rahul Chahar and Harpreet Brar continue to perform effectively. There is a remote possibility that Shikhar Dhawan may bat and enter as an impact player.
Techniques and match-ups: Kagiso Rabada can reclaim a spot in the starting lineup thanks to his strong performance against players like Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav. In 26 balls, he dismissed the former twice, while in 40 balls, he dismissed the latter three times.
Probable XI: Atharva Taide, Prabhsimran Singh, Matthew Short, Liam Livingstone, Harpreet Singh Bhatia, Sam Curran, Jitesh Sharma, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Nathan Ellis/Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh, Rahul Chahar
Did you realise?
eams chasing have won five straight games and 11 of the past 14 games played at the Wankhede Stadium.
In the four games he participated, Shikhar Dhawan scored more than one-third of Punjab’s total team runs.
What they said:
It would be good if I could bowl my four overs up front and then leave, wouldn’t it? I believe it is a terrific chance to give men games. We experienced the same with Rohit when he was unwell. Such effects are extremely advantageous for the game. Pacer Jason Behrendorff of the Mumbai Indians
We’re going to return on Saturday. On Saturday, we play in Mumbai; the pitch is favourable and we are eager to play there. Sam Curran, the PBKS’s temporary skipper
Squads:
Mumbai Indians Squad: Rohit Sharma(c), Ishan Kishan(w), Cameron Green, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Tim David, Nehal Wadhera, Arjun Tendulkar, Hrithik Shokeen, Piyush Chawla, Jason Behrendorff, Riley Meredith, Ramandeep Singh, Kumar Kartikeya, Shams Mulani, Vishnu Vinod, Duan Jansen, Sandeep Warrier, Jofra Archer, Akash Madhwal, Arshad Khan, Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, Raghav Goyal
Punjab Kings Squad: Atharva Taide, Prabhsimran Singh, Matthew Short, Liam Livingstone, Harpreet Singh Bhatia, Sam Curran(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Nathan Ellis, Arshdeep Singh, Rahul Chahar, Sikandar Raza, Kagiso Rabada, Rishi Dhawan, Mohit Rathee, Shivam Singh, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Baltej Singh, Vidhwath Kaverappa, Gurnoor Brar
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