CL T20 preview: Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals
Rohit Sharma
Mumbai Indians (MI):
Mumbai Indians will go into the game as overwhelming favourites simply because of the squad they possess, and the recent taste of IPL success should give them confidence. Looks like the entire squad has had time to settle in and get acclimatized to the conditions at this time of the year and also at the beginning of a season in the Indian cricketing calendar when the pitches will be a factor in all the venues allotted for the tournament.
But, absence of Malinga in the MI’s camp will bother the team management and they will have to sort out their available bowling resources for various stages of a T20 innings. But above everything, on paper, you should see Mumbai Indians being outright favourites before that first ball is bowled.
Players to watch out for in the MI squad:
- Mitchell Johnson
Mitchell Johnson will be the leader of the bowling attack in the absence of Lasith Malinga, who has pulled out of the squad citing family reasons. Bowling alongside Malinga in the last IPL edition, Johnson made the new ball talk by swinging it back into the right hander and had the likes of Badrinath and Aaron Finch in more than a spot of bother.
- Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma will have a huge part to play at the top of the batting order. He is a complete batsman who can shift gears according to the need of the hour.
Strengths of Mumbai Indians:
MI’s strength will no doubt be their batting order, filled with stroke makers from number 1 to 7 and it’s high time that MI’s batsmen bring their best to the fore and make a few extra runs to make up for the loss of Malinga. Having Kieron Pollard at Number 7 will give Mumbai Indians the cushion of rebuilding an innings in case of a top-order fallout.
The experience of Harbhajan Singh as the lead spinner will no doubt be a distinct advantage for MI to slow down things in case their fast bowlers have an off day. He can also be looked at like a wicket taking option.
Possible chinks in MI’s armour:
Absence of Lasith Malinga, without a shadow of doubt, will be a huge whammy for Mumbai Indians not only on the bowling front but, being the nucleus of the side all these years, he was their ‘go to man’ every time they were in a spot of bother. In Malinga’s absence, it’d be interesting to see how Rohit sharma uses his bowling resources.
Malinga was flexible with bowling at the top of the innings and also coming at the death to stifle the run flow but, in his absence, Johnson will have to shoulder that responsibility.
Their opening combination has been a weak link all these years and it’s difficult to think that this shortcoming of theirs is resolved. Tendulkar will look to make the most of his final stint with Mumbai Indians and that could inspire him to take his game to another level.
It’d be intriguing to see who happens to open with Tendulkar, and though Dwayne Smith will be an automatic choice, you can’t rule out Glenn Maxwell getting a look in for this edition of Champions League. But, either way, you got to believe, all of MI’s opponents will look to exploit them right at the top of their batting order.