Suryakumar Yadav's return will give Mumbai a lot of confidence: Smith

Since 2013, Mumbai Indians have never started an IPL campaign with a win. So, it was only prudent that they continued the same way in 2022, when they lost the opening contest against the 2020 IPL finalists, Delhi Capitals. 

Despite the absence of star player Suryakumar Yadav, Mumbai’s batting rallied around the opener Ishan Kishan (81) in setting up a total of 178 for the Capitals to chase. One of the biggest notable point from the game was Mumbai’s lacklustre bowling, which could very well be a big deciding factor on Saturday at the DY Patil Stadium. 

Previewing the clash for Cricket.com, former South African skipper Graeme Smith insisted that the return of Suryakumar would be a big boost for Mumbai’s campaign, adding that the right-hander would be a key player in the tournament. 

“Mumbai have had this history of starting slowly and then picking up pace as the tournament goes on. They have lost their first game this season as well, I think there are question marks over a few players in their playing XI,” Smith told Cricket.com prior to the clash between MI and RR.

“But Suryakumar (Yadav) coming back will give Rohit Sharma and the coaching staff a lot of confidence. He is going to be a key player in the tournament, he’s just an outstanding cricketer, that is a big plus for Mumbai going into game two,” Smith spoke about Suryakumar Yadav’s return to the setup. 

Smith predicts Mumbai to make two changes

Mumbai’s decision to go with both Tymal Mills and Daniel Sams was a costly decision for the five-time IPL champions, with just the one wicket between the two. Smith opined that Mumbai will be looking to replace the Australian all-rounder with either of Riley Meredith or Fabian Allen, depending on the conditions in play. “I feel that Tymal Mills and Daniel Sams are a bit similar, Sams had a tough night in game one. They will definitely look to for a bit of balance, either with extra pace in Meredith or they got a slightly more all-round option in Fabian Allen. And then, they have got the spin of Markande, so my guess is they will get to the DY Patel and take a final call.”

“I think they will consider the balance before taking a call on the playing XI, the pitch dictates a lot. Early on in the competition, we have seen pace play a much more dominant role than we expected, maybe the heat hasn’t quite arrived, the day game will be interesting to watch.”

Boult and Coulter-Nile up against Mumbai

Trent Boult, who was an integral part of Mumbai’s win in 2020, switched allegiance to the Royals at the 2022 IPL Auction. Smith reckoned that both Boult and Nathan Coulter-Nile, who previously were part of the Indians’ setup, will be eager to stomp their mark for the new franchise. 

“Boult has been consistently there, it will be a big game for him, Rajasthan will be trying to tap into his knowledge of Mumbai Indians. It is such a different Rajasthan setup, with seven new faces the other day. When you change franchises, you would want to perform up front, Boult and Coulter-Nile would want to set their marks pretty early by putting a big performance.”

Seven out of the eight matches thus far in this year’s competition has been won by the side, who have won the toss. Barring Rajasthan Royals, who won their game against Sunrisers Hyderabad batting first, it has been a ‘win the toss, win the game’ sort of tournament thus far. However, Smith reckoned that the double-headers might change that complexion. 

“It is puzzling, just watching on television, there seems to be an immense amount of dew that’s coming in the evening, which is making it difficult to defend. So, I think that’s definitely played a role, it has swayed a little bit. But with the double-header, afternoon games, it will be interesting to see, with no dew."