It is now commonly known that Mumbai Indians have a questionable reputation for having bad starts. And that goes beyond the results of individual games. They frequently get off to an equally bad start. Their fortunes are increasingly being determined in the first six overs, usually in a negative way.
The pertinent figures paint a vivid picture. They managed to take just five wickets in return, which is also the second-worst, but lost eight wickets in the opening six overs in four games, which is the second-most of any side. In terms of wickets taken throughout this phase, only Punjab Kings have performed worse.
Against the Kolkata Knight Riders, they had their finest six-over performances up front, taking five wickets in the first seven overs (four in the first six) and losing just one while batting. They have only won a game this season at that point. It’s known as the PowerPlay issue in T20 or white ball jargon.
Mahela Jayawardene concurred that there has been concern over the PowerPlays. “We have also examined those figures. These problems will arise when you begin the season with a new group of players. Therefore, we will need to deal with that. Agreed on the PowerPlays that we need to take a bit more control. Whenever we have done that, we have done that. That is something we are going to plan and see whether we can improve on that.”
When Jasprit Bumrah and Rohit Sharma, two important players, return for Monday’s match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Wankhede, that may alter. While Rohit had to skip the most recent game and is keen to contribute, Bumrah has missed all four games thus far. Both have every chance to have an effect, namely in the PowerPlay overs.
Even if the outcome of the last game at home was reversed, MI will be looking for that against a team that has shown a lot of promise. The Royal Challengers have given their devoted supporters more hope for the season with players like Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, and Rajat Patidar at bat and Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Suyash Sharma with the ball.
“It’s been a great start for us – two big wins on the road against KKR and CSK. They’ve been traditionally tough places, so that’s a brilliant start for us,” said Tim David. “The last game (versus GT at home), we lost early wickets, that happens. We’re looking forward to this game.”
When: Monday, April 7 at 7:30 PM IST
Where: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
What to anticipate: The tiny boundaries further enhance the batting-friendly nature of Mumbai’s red-soil grounds. The main concern is whether dew will be a factor in the battle, which is predicted to yield a large number of runs. The amount of moisture on the field on Monday night will determine how big the advantage is for the pursuing team, but it is likely to be there.
Head to Head: MI leads RCB 19-14, although since 2022, the two clubs have played evenly, going 2-2. MI beat them 8-3 at the Wankhede; the last time RCB had a victory there was during the 2015 IPL. They have since suffered six straight defeats at the stadium.
Team Watch
Mumbai Indians
Injury & Availability: The club management has verified that Jasprit Bumrah will be available for MI at last. Rohit Sharma missed the previous game after getting struck on the knee in the nets, so there is still some doubt about his fitness. Similar to his performance in the last game, Tilak Varma, who was also on the injury list, is anticipated to be fit for the match.
Strategies & Matchups: Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar, who are both renowned for their ability to score in the PowerPlay, are probably going to keep using the new ball. As a result, youthful Ashwani Kumar might not make the starting lineup, leaving Jasprit Bumrah to play in the middle and towards the end. While Bumrah might be the best man to use his toe-crushers in the final overs to stop big-hitting Tim David, Vignesh Puthur might be used as a tactical alternative to counter big-hitters like Liam Livingstone.
Probable XII: Rohit Sharma, Will Jacks, Ryan Rickelton, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (c), Naman Dhir, Raj Bawa, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, Vignesh Puthur
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Availability & Injury: Tim David affirmed that the team is not aware of any injuries.
Matchups & Tactics: RCB’s standard approach against MI ought to be sufficient to start. They will have ample weaponry to challenge Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton, the openers for MI, with Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar at the top of the bowling order. Suyash Sharma, the spinner, will have to take on players like Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav.
Probable XII: Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, BHuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Suyash Sharma
