Is Mumbai Indians Prepared To Stop Ever Advancing Gujarat Titans?

Gujarat Titans, who are on top of the points table, will face the Mumbai Indians who have been out of the tournament. Gujarat’s eyes are on forgetting the previous defeat and returning to the victory note. On the other hand, Mumbai’s team will try to win their second match. Mumbai Indians is already out of the race for the playoffs.

Gujarat (GT) suffered an eight-wicket loss to Punjab Kings in the previous match, breaking their five-match winning streak. So far, the consistency in the batting department throughout the tournament, especially in the top order, has been a problem for him and now is the time for the new IPL team to rectify the gap towards the end of the league.

Despite the defeat, Gujarat continues to top the 10-team table with 16 points from 10 matches and a win on Friday will make them the first team to secure a place in the playoffs. 

Young Shubman Gill has failed to live up to the expectations at the top of the order while veteran Wriddhiman Saha, who replaced Matthew Wade, got off to a good start but could not keep it up. B Sai Sudarshan, who was still the weak link for the team, saved the team in the last match by scoring 65 runs in 50 balls, in which everyone was unsuccessful. 

Captain Hardik Pandya, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan also could not score runs against Punjab Kings. Rashid has performed brilliantly and has played a key role in Gujarat’s success so far.

With the presence of Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson, Alzarri Joseph and Rashid, Gujarat has the most dangerous attack in this year’s IPL. Shami has done exceptionally well with the new ball despite plundering runs in the previous match, while Ferguson’s ability to pick up extra pace will be a concern for any batting line-up. Rashid has also been very economical in bowling but has not been very successful in taking wickets which will be a matter of concern for the team.

On the other hand, when it comes to Mumbai Indians, they are at the last position in the table and have already been out of the tournament after eight consecutive defeats. But the Rohit Sharma-led side must have breathed a sigh of relief after registering a five-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals which was their first win in the tournament.

Suryakumar Yadav has been Mumbai’s star in the batting department, otherwise there has been a lack of cohesion in the batting unit. Rohit and Ishaan’s poor form continues in the tournament while Kieron Pollard has not been able to do justice to his ‘finisher’ role in the season so far. In the bowling department, Mumbai team does not look close to its best. Jasprit Bumrah may have been economical but has not been able to pick up wickets, which has been the most painful for the team.