After four consecutive losses, 5-time champs Mumbai Indians will have to bat, bowl and field better against Punjab Kings in neighbouring city Pune tonight
Mumbai Indians players. Pic/PTI
It’s often said that at the higher level of sport it’s all about executing your skill sets, without worrying too much about the opposition. Considering their current situation in the tournament, Mumbai Indians could exactly be thinking that way, as they take on Punjab Kings at the MCA Stadium here on Wednesday.
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Four out of four defeats
With four losses from four games, MI have very limited margin for error. And Rohit Sharma’s men know that their task is cut out. Batting first in three out of four games, they have simply not scored enough runs. And defending below par totals, they haven’t taken enough wickets. Their catching hasn’t been the best either. Hence, the team management would be hoping for a far better team performance for MI to stand any chance against Punjab Kings.
Mumbai Indians went with only two foreign players in their playing XI in their previous game here against Royal Challengers Bangalore. MI’s Director of Cricket Zaheer Khan then defended the move saying that they were “going for what we thought was the best combination.” It will be interesting to see if the MI think-tank sticks to that. The Pune pitch has assisted swing bowlers at the start in all the games played here, and that is one of the areas where Mumbai Indians have been a bit behind the other teams in the competition so far.
“There is a little bit of help with the new ball, so maintaining a good line, trying to swing the ball upfront, I think will help you,” MI pacer Jasprit Bumrah said ahead of the game. “As soon as you come to the later stages, be it the first innings or the second innings, the wicket settles down. So then maybe you have to start your death bowling a little early,” he added, speaking about the ideal bowling plan.
As Bumrah jokingly said, winning the toss and opting to chase would be ideal for his team.
Suryakumar in form
The other interesting part would be about the MI batting set up, and potential changes in their batting order. Suryakumar Yadav has made two excellent half centuries in the two games he has played, both at the MCA Stadium, batting at No.4. It would be interesting to see if he is promoted to No.3. MI have lost wickets in clusters in the middle overs, and promoting Yadav could be one of the solutions for that.
Punjab Kings are going into this game on the back of a heart-breaking loss to Gujarat Lions on April 8. Rahul Tewatia smashed Odean Smith for back-to-back sixes with 12 required off two balls to steal victory from the jaws of defeat. Punjab have the batting fire power to pose a challenge for MI. And with two wins out of four games, they should go into Wednesday’s game a bit more confident as compared to their counterparts.
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