Mumbai Indians vs Rising Pune Supergiants, 1st Match
Series: Indian Premier League, 2016 Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai Date & Time: Apr 09, 08:00 PM LOCAL
Mumbai Indians
OUTLOOK
They haven't been the best starters in the past few editions of Indian Premier League (IPL) but their famous come-from-behind tales in the IPL have ensured that Mumbai Indians have made it past the first stage for six years in a row. The two-time champions (2013 and 2015) enter the ninth edition of IPL as one of the favourites again and they will attempt to become the first team to win three titles.
KEY POINTS
Knowledge of lasting the distance: They might have experienced a few stumbles during the IPL campaigns in the past editions, but Mumbai Indians are known for their ability to pick up their game just when they are written off and go the distance. They peak at the right time more often than not, which is one of the reasons why they have won the title twice in the last three seasons.
Balance: Be it Indian internationals, overseas players, or the uncapped ones, Mumbai Indians seem to possess the right balance in their squad. From T20 specialists and batsmen who can anchor the innings to hard-hitters, allrounders, fiery pacers and variety among spinners, you name it and you'll find it in this well-rounded squad.
Strengths: Majority of Mumbai's success will revolve around the performance of Rohit Sharma, Lendl Simmons, Kieron Pollard, Corey Anderson and Mitchell McClenaghan. While these are seasoned international players, youngsters like Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya have also impressed during their stints with the Indian team and will approach the tournament with a lot of confidence. Fire power is aplenty.
Weaknesses: While Mumbai have managed to get past the first stage on the back of brilliant performances in the latter half of the previous two IPL editions, they may not always find the get-out-of-jail cards. Another concern for Mumbai Indians is the fitness of Malinga. The Sri Lankan pacer, who has been key to Mumbai's success over the past, recently missed the World T20 due to a knee injury. While coach Ricky Ponting remains hopeful of having his leading pacer back in the second half, the possibility of him missing the entire tournament cannot be ruled out.
Rising Pune Supergiants
OUTLOOK
They may be the latest entrants in the Indian Premier League (IPL), but there is no shortage of T20 experience when it comes to Rising Pune Supergiants (RPSG), who will be led by skipper MS Dhoni in a squad whose majority is a mix of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) players. With Dhoni and Stephen Fleming at the helm of affairs, the team will be hoping to recreate the CSK magic of recent years.
KEY POINTS
The CSK duo: Given the Dhoni-Fleming partnership, teams vying for a playoffs spot would be foolish to write off the Pune franchise, merely based on the fact that this will be their first season in the tournament. Runners-up, Semifinalists, Winners, Winners, Runners-up, Runners-up, Playoffs, Runners-up - this is the performance of CSK in the past editions and the highly-successful pair will hope their combination brings instant success to their new team.
Experienced internationals: Kevin Pietersen, Steve Smith, Faf du Plessis, Mitchell Marsh and Thisara Perera - between them is an experience of 165 IPL matches, something that would work swimmingly in gelling together a successful team.
Squad balance: Be it the spin department, the top order or quality all-rounders, Pune have ticked most of the boxes. Barring the lack of one or two quality overseas pacers, there is a sense of balance to this Pune squad.
Strengths: Most of the members in the squad know what it takes to go the distance in a tournament like the IPL and will hope that the knowledge translates into performances whenever they take the field, starting with their opening clash against defending champions Mumbai Indians.
Weaknesses: When India recently lost to Sri Lanka in a T20I at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune, Dhoni's team was taken aback with the kind of assistance the pitch provided for the seamers. That may not be the case during IPL 2016, but Dhoni and his fellow CSK mates will not have the same comfort level as the Chepauk fortress, nor would the former Rajastan Royals players feel as much at home as they did at Jaipur or Ahmedabad. The other concerns for the team include the short turnaround time to find the right combination, assigning roles to the players and how to sort the overseas conundrum.
OUTLOOK
They haven't been the best starters in the past few editions of Indian Premier League (IPL) but their famous come-from-behind tales in the IPL have ensured that Mumbai Indians have made it past the first stage for six years in a row. The two-time champions (2013 and 2015) enter the ninth edition of IPL as one of the favourites again and they will attempt to become the first team to win three titles.
KEY POINTS
Knowledge of lasting the distance: They might have experienced a few stumbles during the IPL campaigns in the past editions, but Mumbai Indians are known for their ability to pick up their game just when they are written off and go the distance. They peak at the right time more often than not, which is one of the reasons why they have won the title twice in the last three seasons.
Balance: Be it Indian internationals, overseas players, or the uncapped ones, Mumbai Indians seem to possess the right balance in their squad. From T20 specialists and batsmen who can anchor the innings to hard-hitters, allrounders, fiery pacers and variety among spinners, you name it and you'll find it in this well-rounded squad.
Strengths: Majority of Mumbai's success will revolve around the performance of Rohit Sharma, Lendl Simmons, Kieron Pollard, Corey Anderson and Mitchell McClenaghan. While these are seasoned international players, youngsters like Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya have also impressed during their stints with the Indian team and will approach the tournament with a lot of confidence. Fire power is aplenty.
Weaknesses: While Mumbai have managed to get past the first stage on the back of brilliant performances in the latter half of the previous two IPL editions, they may not always find the get-out-of-jail cards. Another concern for Mumbai Indians is the fitness of Malinga. The Sri Lankan pacer, who has been key to Mumbai's success over the past, recently missed the World T20 due to a knee injury. While coach Ricky Ponting remains hopeful of having his leading pacer back in the second half, the possibility of him missing the entire tournament cannot be ruled out.
Rising Pune Supergiants
OUTLOOK
They may be the latest entrants in the Indian Premier League (IPL), but there is no shortage of T20 experience when it comes to Rising Pune Supergiants (RPSG), who will be led by skipper MS Dhoni in a squad whose majority is a mix of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) players. With Dhoni and Stephen Fleming at the helm of affairs, the team will be hoping to recreate the CSK magic of recent years.
KEY POINTS
The CSK duo: Given the Dhoni-Fleming partnership, teams vying for a playoffs spot would be foolish to write off the Pune franchise, merely based on the fact that this will be their first season in the tournament. Runners-up, Semifinalists, Winners, Winners, Runners-up, Runners-up, Playoffs, Runners-up - this is the performance of CSK in the past editions and the highly-successful pair will hope their combination brings instant success to their new team.
Experienced internationals: Kevin Pietersen, Steve Smith, Faf du Plessis, Mitchell Marsh and Thisara Perera - between them is an experience of 165 IPL matches, something that would work swimmingly in gelling together a successful team.
Squad balance: Be it the spin department, the top order or quality all-rounders, Pune have ticked most of the boxes. Barring the lack of one or two quality overseas pacers, there is a sense of balance to this Pune squad.
Strengths: Most of the members in the squad know what it takes to go the distance in a tournament like the IPL and will hope that the knowledge translates into performances whenever they take the field, starting with their opening clash against defending champions Mumbai Indians.
Weaknesses: When India recently lost to Sri Lanka in a T20I at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune, Dhoni's team was taken aback with the kind of assistance the pitch provided for the seamers. That may not be the case during IPL 2016, but Dhoni and his fellow CSK mates will not have the same comfort level as the Chepauk fortress, nor would the former Rajastan Royals players feel as much at home as they did at Jaipur or Ahmedabad. The other concerns for the team include the short turnaround time to find the right combination, assigning roles to the players and how to sort the overseas conundrum.
Teams:
Rising Pune Supergiants
(From): Ankush Bains, Ajinkya Rahane, Faf du Plessis, Steven Smith,
Kevin Pietersen, MS Dhoni(w/c), Mitchell Marsh, Rajat Bhatia,
Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Ishwar Pandey, Baba Aparajith, Albie
Morkel, Saurabh Tiwary, Irfan Pathan, Ashok Dinda, Thisara Perera,
Peter Handscomb, RP Singh, Jaskaran Singh, Adam Zampa, Ankit Sharma,
Scott Boland, Deepak Chahar, Murugan Ashwin
Mumbai Indians
(From): Lendl Simmons, Parthiv Patel(w), Rohit Sharma(c), Corey
Anderson, Kieron Pollard, Ambati Rayudu, Hardik Pandya, Harbhajan Singh,
Suchith, Mitchell McClenaghan, Jasprit Bumrah, Jos Buttler, Tim
Southee, Shreyas Gopal, Vinay Kumar, Marchant de Lange, Unmukt Chand,
Akshay Wakhare, Siddhesh Lad, Krunal Pandya, Nitish Rana, Jitesh Sharma,
Deepak Punia, Nathu Singh, Kishore Kamath
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