IPL 2022: 3 tactical changes MI could try out in the remainder of the season
Now out of contention for the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) playoffs, the Mumbai Indians (MI) can afford to play free-spirited cricket and spoil some IPL teams' parties at the business end of the tournament.
With only two wins from 11 games, the five-time champions are enduring their worst-ever campaign in the IPL. And unfortunately for them, their chances of salvaging some pride towards the end of the league phase took a massive hit when Suryakumar Yadav was ruled out with a left forearm injury.
MI need to build towards the future, and they have already taken a step in that regard by signing the talented Tristan Stubbs as a replacement for Tymal Mills. Here are three tactical changes Mumbai could try out for the remainder of the season.
#3 MI could bolster their batting at the expense of their bowling
MI's bowling was always expected to be their Achilles heel in the absence of Jofra Archer, and it's safe to say that it has. Before the previous game against the Kolkata Knight Riders, even lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah wasn't amongst the wickets. Others like Mills, Basil Thampi, Jaydev Unadkat and Daniel Sams failed to support Bumrah adequately, although a few of them had their moments now and then.
Murugan Ashwin, often playing as the sole spinner, has struggled for consistency. And to make matters worse for Mumbai, their part-time options such as Tilak Varma, Dewald Brevis and Kieron Pollard haven't bowled enough overs to take some pressure off the frontline bowlers having a bad day.
MI just don't have the personnel to pick up wickets regularly, irrespective of the team changes they make. Their best bet might be to play four frontline bowlers - for example, Bumrah, Sams, Ashwin and Unadkat - and get four overs out of David, Brevis, Pollard and Tilak. This would greatly boost their batting at the expense of their bowling, which hasn't really done enough in IPL 2022 despite several different combinations.
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#2 MI could play Dewald Brevis as a finisher
After promising innings of 29, 49 and 31 in his first four IPL outings, Dewald Brevis notched up two single-digit scores in a row to lose his place in the MI playing XI. However, it might be time for Mumbai to bring the talented 19-year-old back into the mix, this time in a different role.
Brevis' all-out attacking approach didn't pay off often enough when he was batting at No. 3, with oppositions finding it relatively easy to bowl hard lengths to him. The youngster's best position might be in the middle order, where he can afford to adopt his aggressive approach without fear of putting the team under pressure early on.
Tilak Varma has started to bat at No. 3 with Suryakumar injured, and that could be great for MI in the long run. That leaves a vacancy at No. 5 or No. 6 for Brevis, who can play as a finisher. And about No. 4....
#1 Ishan Kishan could be moved into the middle order
Ishan Kishan, signed for ₹15.5 crore at the IPL 2022 auction, has failed to deliver for MI this year. He has accumulated 321 runs at an average of 32.1 and a strike rate of 117.15, with a good portion of his runs coming after Mumbai had been all but ruled out of playoff contention.
It's important to remember that Kishan's best IPL season to date came when he was batting in the middle order. In 2020, the southpaw scored 516 runs at an average of 57.33 and a strike rate of 145.76 as MI recorded their fifth title triumph. A few painful IPL 2021 innings at Chepauk, where almost every batter struggled, shouldn't prevent the management from thinking that he is best suited to bat in the powerplay.
It might be wise for MI to move Kishan into the middle order. Although they don't have any real options to accompany Rohit at the top, a radical change or two won't harm the five-time champions much in a season that is already beyond salvation.