The IPL 2023 is at that stage now, where it is not possible for any side to take the foot off the gas, irrespective of how balanced their side is, or how well the batters are playing.
New Delhi: The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 is at that stage now, where it is not possible for any side to take the foot off the gas, irrespective of how balanced their side is, or how well the batters are playing.
Mumbai Indians (MI), who witnessed another amazing batting display in their last match, cannot rest on those laurels as every match now can become a telling hurdle. As it is, they face the biggest of those hurdles in Gujarat Titans (GT) in their next game, at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday.
GT have looked as poised and complete as any side has been in the tournament but MI is the side that will challenge them. The batting display from the Mumbai outfit has been the most amazing in IPL 2023 but GT have been better all-round. Quite a formula for a big clash.
MI and Suryakumar Yadav were on some other planet in their last match against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). ‘Insane’ would be the best way to describe what Yadav did, though the batter himself looked all calm and collected through the madness.
A score of 83 off 35 deliveries with seven boundaries and six sixes and a strike-rate of 237.14 was something else indeed.
This, combined with Ishan Kishan’s 42 off 21 balls and young Nehal Wadhera’s half-century made mincemeat of the RCB bowling, MI romping home in just 16.3 overs while chasing 199 runs.
While most sides would be worried when their captain and premier batter is not in the best of forms, but MI have overcome Rohit Sharma’s lean contributions effortlessly. Such is the command in batting.
GT’s top-order too has thrown questions for all opponents, with Shubman Gill and Wriddhiman Saha really grinding the bowling effectively. Skipper Hardik Pandya never hesitates to come up the order and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) found out, this batting order can be really pugnacious too.
On top of that, GT also boast some of the most in-form bowlers in IPL 2023. Mohammad Shami has been in the thick of things but the seam-up department has really been boosted by the revival of Mohit Sharma, who has the ideal mix for this sort of play.
The spinners in Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad are never out of the running, making this one of the best combinations in the tournament. Not to mention Alzarri Joseph or Pandya himself.
As for MI, their bowling still has some questions to answer. They have a lot of bowlers and Chris Jordan’s return to action is a major fillip but somehow, they are not half as convincing as GT. Piyush Chawla has done wonders in the spin department but overall, MI almost always need big runs from the batters to win matches.
The tournament is at the business end. GT, with 16 points from 11 matches sit atop the points tally while MI are third, with 12 points from 11 matches. The latter will naturally be a little more concerned about their position and cannot afford any late slip-ups. Full points are a must. Enough reason for a full-power contest.
