Series: Indian Premier League, 2016 Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai Date & Time: Apr 20, 08:00 PM LOCAL
PIVOTAL SPOT: Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma, caught short of his
crease against Sunrisers Hyderabad, is expected to bat at No. 4 to give
stability to the champion team that has been struggling of late.
Floundering Mumbai has its task cut out against Kohli's RCB
Beaten thrice in four games, the defending champion needs to find winning combination in crucial RCB match
The Mumbai Indians stock has taken quite a beating in the ongoing Vivo IPL-9.
The
champion has floundered three times in four matches and Monday’s
thrashing at the hands of Sunrisers Hyderabad was only symptomatic of
the mediocre displays it has put up from the opening match against
Rising Pune Supergiants.
Though there were definite
hints of a bright spark in its victory against Kolkata Knight Riders,
the team, following some ordinary performances, has been out of sync
with its refrain ‘Duniya Hila Denge Hum’ (we will rock the world).
The
team, with superb support staff in Ricky Ponting, Shane Bond, Jonty
Rhodes, Robin Singh and Paras Mhambrey, next hosts Virat Kohli’s Royal
Challengers Bangalore, which was shell-shocked by Quinton de Kock’s
pounding that helped Delhi Daredevils surpass 191.
The two have almost shared the spoils in the previous 17 matches — MI has won nine to RCB’s eight.
Captain’s batting order
As
MI mentally prepares for the crucial home match on Wednesday, the
relevance of skipper Rohit Sharma batting at No. 4 is not anymore a hot
topic of debate; he’s already made the move against Sunrisers.
Perhaps he has realised, for the team’s balance, that he needs to take the middle-order position.
At
the pre-tournament press conference, Rohit had said he would open for
about four or five matches before taking a call to revert to his
favourite IPL slot, No. 4.
That’s where he has made 1,974 runs in 70 innings (1,367 in 48 matches for MI).
Though
he scored a classy unbeaten 84 against KKR as an opener, identical
scores of seven against Supergiants and Lions have shown that he can be
as vulnerable as anyone in the six-over PowerPlay start.
The
home team has tried three sets of openers — Rohit-Lendl Simmons,
Rohit-Parthiv Patel and Parthiv-Martin Guptill, with the New Zealander
coming in at the expense of the injured West Indian.
Though
MI has gone after the new ball bowlers in the PowerPlay, it has not
really been successful — 37 for four (against Supergiants), 31 for two
(Lions) and 40 for two (Sunrisers).
The intent to send Hardik Pandya at the fall of the first wicket, with a licence to hit, has backfired.
Given the circumstances, MI is likely to stick to the changes it made with regard to Rohit and Hardik.
It
needs someone from the top four to score heavily in order to give its
bowlers some space. As of now, only left-arm seamer Mitchell McClenaghan
has looked smart.
While MI will mull over finding a
combination to settle down and look forward to posting wins, RCB would
expect Virat Kohli and A.B. de Villiers to continue with their form.
Gayle flies home
RCB, however, will be without Chris Gayle, who will not be available for a few matches.
RCB
sources said he left for Jamaica on Sunday to be with his new-born son.
RCB made 227 against Sunrisers and 191 against Daredevils.
The MI bowlers have their task cut out.
Ponting, meanwhile, revealed that the absence of a specialist No. 3 in the squad had opened an opportunity for Hardik.
He also confirmed that Pollard had been laid low by food poisoning and had not travelled to Hyderabad.
When
asked to sum up MI’s dismal showing so far, Ponting said: “We have been
disappointing; we have not played to the levels the team would have
liked to. We had a good chase against Kolkata; otherwise, our batting
has not been good enough yet.
“I think it is fair to
say that the experiment with Hardik has not worked. It is more likely
that (Amabati) Rayudu will stay there at No. 3 for a few games.”
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