Over time, Mumbai Indians have made it a habit. Of starting slowly, before revving up as mid-season approaches and pouncing on teams at the back end. They have poorly started this time as well, but the margin for errors could be smaller in a 10-team pool. Therefore, they need to quickly get up and running. It’s in the middle of this phase that they run into IPL 2021’s runners-up Kolkata Knight Riders, whose firebrand approach to batting, has lent a dazzling touch to the season so far.
In both their losses so far, Mumbai have failed to capitalise on their batters putting them in strong positions. Against the Delhi Capitals, both Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan struck half-centuries in a robust opening stand to set up the game, but the middle order came a cropper. Against the Rajasthan Royals, they failed to close out the game from a position where they needed 65 off 36 balls with seven wickets in hand, after the game was set up by half-centurions Tilak Varma and Kishan.
Mumbai also have concerns over the one bowling spot, currently occupied by Basil Thampi. In the opening game, Lalit Yadav and Axar Patel took him to the cleaners. In the second, Thampi was carted for 26 by Jos Buttler in his only over, forcing Rohit to look elsewhere to complete the quota. This could force a change. There’s plenty of experience in the form of Jaydev Unadkat, but the only hitch is he’s nearly like-for-like to Tymal Mills, in terms of his slower variations and left-arm variety. They will need to identify this bowler quickly, though, if they are looking at a change.
Knight Riders have unlocked magic from Umesh Yadav. Throw in Pat Cummins into the mix and their pace attack looks mean and menacing. Then their spin factor is always bound to throw up interesting questions, provided conditions aren’t too much in favour of the chasing team on the face of dew.
So far with the bat, the Knight Riders have expressed their desire to play an aggressive brand of T20 cricket that can look spectacular, like it did when Andre Russell went after the Kings in a small chase or fall flat from time to time like it did against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Going forward, they will expect a lot more from the likes of Venkatesh Iyer and Ajinkya Rahane.
Pat Cummins has completed his mandatory three-day quarantine upon arrival, followed by his first training session on match eve, which means they will possibly need to leave out Sam Billings. This means the wicketkeeper’s slot will be taken up once again by Sheldon Jackson, whose glovework has impressed many. Sunil Narine, Russell, and Tim Southee are likely to take up the other overseas slots.
Mumbai have their entire complement of players to choose from. It remains to be seen if they will finally unleash Suryakumar Yadav, who has recuperated from a wrist injury, and how much batting load he can manage just yet. If he does come in, Mumbai are likely to leave out Anmolpreet Singh.
Cummins v Kishan: three innings, five balls, three wickets. Rohit v Narine: 18 innings, seven dismissals, average 19.6 – all formidable numbers over a larger sample size. It makes sense for the Knight Riders to open with Cummins and Narine up front to try and take on the in-form batters against whom they have had considerable success. It’s even more tantalising because Rohit, who has started the IPL differently – striking at 147 off his first 10 balls – needing to take on the bowler who has dismissed him the most times in the IPL.
Since IPL 2018, the teams winning the toss have opted to bowl first every single time at the MCA Stadium in Pune. But there’s no significant difference in terms of results as teams batting first and second have won four games each.
In 16 IPL games here, pacers have picked up 3.8 wickets per innings here as compared to spinners, who have managed just 1.6. Spinners have fractionally been more economical, though, conceding at 8.3 an over to the 8.6 by pacers.
This has been a lopsided IPL rivalry so far. Mumbai’s win percentage of 75.8% is the highest win percentage for a team against an opponent in all IPL.
