Ahmedabad, Apr 19 : An embattled Mumbai Indians side will be desperate to arrest its slide when it takes on a confident Gujarat Titans outfit, which is eager to extend its winning run, in the Indian Premier League here on Monday.
The two teams enter the fixture having endured contrasting fortunes in recent weeks. The Titans, after opening their campaign with back-to-back defeats, have rediscovered their rhythm with three successive wins which has placed them sixth on the table.
Mumbai, in stark contrast, began with a rare opening-game victory but have since unravelled, suffering four defeats on the bounce and the margin of their losses have been huge, leaving them languishing at ninth.
For the five-time champions, it has been a season where little has clicked. Their campaign has been undermined by a combination of timid powerplay returns, inconsistent middle-order output, and a bowling attack that has lacked penetration.
Much of the spotlight has been on Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma, the fulcrum of MI’s middle order.
While Suryakumar has shown flashes of brilliance, including a half-century, he has struggled for consistency. Tilak, meanwhile, has been woefully out of form, managing just 43 runs in five innings.
Skipper Hardik Pandya hasn’t fared much better either, with 81 runs from four games, further compounding Mumbai’s batting woes.
The problems, however, run deeper than just batting. Mumbai’s inability to seize control in the powerplay has left them chasing games too often.
The redoubtable Jasprit Bumrah’s wicket-less run is one of MI’s major concerns. The premier fast bowler has been economical and disciplined but remains wicket-less, with opposition batters content to play him out without taking undue risks.
Support from the rest of the attack has been minimal. Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar have failed to make decisive breakthroughs as has Pandya, while the spinners have been erratic with their lengths.
On batting-friendly surfaces, this has proved costly, with MI repeatedly conceding momentum early.
To add to their woes, Mumbai are sweating on the availability of talisman Rohit Sharma, who hurt his hamstring against Royal Challengers Bengaluru and missed the previous game against Punjab Kings.
In contrast, Gujarat Titans have found ways to win despite their own issues. Their batting remains heavily top-dependent, relying on skipper Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler to do the bulk of the scoring.
The middle-order comprising Glenn Phillips, Washington Sundar and Rahul Tewatia is yet to inspire confidence.
With the ball, the Titans have shown promise but lack consistency. Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada have been expensive at times, while Prasidh Krishna and Rashid Khan have blown hot and cold.
The bowling unit will be brimming with confidence though after the solid performance against KKR in the previous game.
Teams (from):
Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill (c), Anuj Rawat, Jos Buttler, Kumar Kushagra, Glenn Phillips, Rashid Khan, Manav Suthar, Nishant Sindhu, Rahul Tewatia, Washington Sundar, Gurnoor Brar, Arshad Khan, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Kagiso Rabada, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Ishant Sharma, Ashok Sharma, Jason Holder, Tom Banton, Luke Wood, Sai Sudharsan, M Shahrukh Khan, Jayant Yadav, Kulwant Khejroliya.
Mumbai Indians: Hardik Pandya (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Danish Malewar, Robin Minz (wk), Ryan Rickelton (wk), Sherfane Rutherford, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Atharva Ankolekar, Raj Bawa, Corbin Bosch, Will Jacks, Mayank Rawat, Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Shardul Thakur, Ashwani Kumar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Deepak Chahar, AM Ghazanfar, Mayank Markande, Mohd Izhar, Raghu Sharma.
