PREVIEW
Follow UsAhead of the IPL 2022 season, any suggestion that Gujarat Titans would be table-toppers and Mumbai Indians would be wooden spoon-holders would have been ridiculed. But right now, it is the only reality that exists on Earth.
Mumbai have been poor and they have not had anyone else to blame for their inconsequential run this season. And then there is Gujarat, a side none predicted to hug the top position for the longest time in the tournament. The Titans are incredible flawed and yet they currently are the most powerful side in the competition, such is the nature of the shortest format.
On paper, Gujarat’s top-order have incredible worries, with all hopes on the shoulders of Wriddhiman Saha and a 20-year-old Sai Sudharshan. The form of the two retained players – Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya is an issue that Gujarat hope would overturn on its own. The middle-order though, has been in scintillating form, contributing every time they walk out to bat.
For Mumbai, the season is over even mathematically which puts them in a comfortable position to try out a few things. The rise of two spinners, Kumar Kartikeya and Hrithik Shokeen and the form of Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma would come as a big positive for the five-time IPL winners in an otherwise lull season. Will anything change in this fixture?
Gujarat pray for the form of Gill and Pandya
Gill’s form is a big worry for the Titans. Gill looked like he was going to fulfill his potential in the tournament with 180 runs at a strike-rate of well over 140 after three games. But the dip in the form shows why exactly KKR might not have been too keen on retaining him ahead of the mega season. Since April 8, when he scored the 96 against Punjab Kings, the opener has scores of 7, 13, 0, 7, 22, 31 and 9.
Astonishingly barring two knocks (9 and 7), his strike-rate has always been underwhelming, with just one innings over the 100 strike-rate mark. The problem for Gujarat is that they are having to take a punt with the other opener, Saha. The franchise would be keen to have Gill back in form ahead of the playoffs, a stage where they are going to face the best of sides.
Not just Gill, the form of Hardik post the injury too comes as a concern. Pandya has flopped across the phase in his last three innings (10, 3 and 1) after putting up stellar scores earlier in the season. Against his former side, Pandya would be eyeing to return to the best of forms, as Gujarat can not have two struggling batters in the top four ahead of the playoffs.
Can Tilak-Suryakumar withstand the Titan’s attack?
It is no secret that Mumbai Indians are struggling massively with the bat. Barring the duo of Suryakumar Yadav and a 19-year-old Tilak Varma, no other batter has made any sort of impact during IPL 2022. MI skipper Rohit Sharma has now gone 17 innings without scoring a half-century in the competition, and further his average of 17.2 is the lowest for captains in any season of the competition.
In Rohit and Ishan’s poor form, Mumbai have been heavily dependent on the duo of Tilak-Suryakumar to hold the fort. While the left-hander has scored 307 runs in the competition, averaging 43.9, the experienced Mumbaikar has scored 290 runs, averaging 48.3. Not just that, the two also have scored at a strike-rate north of 130s and have nearly top-scored with the bat for the franchise in most of the innings this season. In fact, during the middle-overs (7-15), the duo have contributed to 63% of the franchise’s runs, making them invaluable in this setup.
Against a bowling attack which loves to strike in regular intervals, it would be important that these two make an impact in the clash even though MI are out of the playoff race.
Kumar Kartikeya and the instant impact
Mumbai have suffered with the ball this season. They have tried and tested several bowlers, several spinners but the result has continually been dismal. Even Jasprit Bumrah, the leader of the bowling attack has failed to be effective for the franchise. That’s where the likes of Riley Meredith, Hrithik Shokeen and Kumar Karthikeya have stepped up their game.
In the powerplay against the Royals, the off-spin of Shokeen proved to be useful in sending off Rajasthan’s opener – Devdutt Padikkal. Later in the innings, even though he was under the pump from Buttler, the off-spinner had the last laugh deceiving Buttler in his tracks, ending up with figures of 2/47.
A 24-year-old Kumar Karthikeya is a story for ages. The left-arm unorthodox spinner came at a time when Mumbai were suffering. In just one game, he has shown great strength in his bowling and confidence level. He might have just picked up the sole wicket of Sanju Samson but the threatening nature of his bowling is such that he can punish the best of batters just through deception.
Team Combination and Playing XI
Mumbai Indians: Ishan Kishan (wk), Rohit Sharma (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Tim David, Kieron Pollard, Daniel Sams, Hrithik Shokeen, Jasprit Bumrah, Kumar Karthikeya Singh, Riley Meredith
Gujarat Titans: Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shubman Gill, B Sai Sudharshan, Hardik Pandya (c), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Pradeep Sangwan, Lockie Ferguson, Alzarri Joseph, Mohammed Shami
