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*MI VS RR MATCH 42 PREVIEW*
*THE BUILD UP:*
*CAN MUMBAI HAND OVER THE BIRTHDAY GIFT TO THE HITMAN?:*
It is Rohit’s birthday and that should cheer the entire camp but the overlaying worries can still be spotted pretty easily. Having won three on the trot, MI would have been elated at best but another two losses back to back have pushed them further. Though their batting is still their strong suit with loads of talented players up their sleeves, their needs to be a better connect and as far as their bowling is concerned, it’s been abysmal to say the least. Leg spinners are not trusted enough( barring the heroics of Piyush), Archer the bank breaking buy has not turned up and lastly, the inexperience of the entire squad is hurting the team mentality bigtime.
*MI PROBABLE XI:*
Rohit Sharma(c), Ishan Kishan(wk), Cameron Green, Tilak Verma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tim David, Nehal Wadhera, Piyush Chawla, Jofra Archer, Arjun Tendulkar, Jason Behrendroff
Piyush enjoys a stependous record vs the likes of Sanju and Shimron Hetmyer. He could be used wisely to keep the two destructive batters quiet and further making his case in this comeback season for the veteran.
Rohit vs Boult, is one battle that I would be watching closely largely because of Boult’s ability to get the better of his former franchise captain in Rohit and the tendency of Rohit to struggle against high quality left arm swing. If he is able to negate this threat early on, we may see him in fullflow on his special day.
*IMPACT PLAYER STRATEGY:*
Kumar Kartikeye is expected to make way for Tilak Verma if MI bowl second but if they bowl first, expect Tilak to come in as the impact sub.
*RR PROBABLE XI:*
Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson(c)(wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Ravi Ashwin, Trent Boult, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal
Holder as a better is seriously been under-utilised by this RR management. The other game vs RCB was a classic example because a raw Indian talent was sent to face the last over instead of the proven hitter in Jason holder. Ideally, he should be sent up the order above Ashwin, in order to make a case and impact the game with the bat.
Jos Buttler boasts of an outstanding record against the Mumbai Indians. Everytime he faces them, there’s a possibility of him notching up a fifty plus score. He is a safe bet against the five time champions and would be raring to fire once again tonight at the Wankhede, the bounce and pace here should suit Buttler’s style of play.
Though Chahal has been amongst the wickets this season, he has been shielded by the RR skipper. It’s baffling how Chahal has not bowled the difficult overs with Ashwin and Sandeep being given the job above him. This is concerning because the captain not trusting the ace bowler means there have been below average performances from the leggie and heading into this game, he would look to sort them out as soon as possible.
*IMPACT PLAYER STRATEGY:*
Left armer Kuldip Yadav set to take the field as the impact sub if RR bowl second but if they bowl first, then Padikkal could come in while they chase a target.
*MY PREDICTIONS FOR THE GAME:*
*FOR MI:*
Highest run getter- Suryakumar Yadav/Rohit Sharma
Highest wicket taker- Piyush Chawla/Jofra Archer
*FOR RR:*
Highest run getter- Jos Buttler/Yashasvi Jaiswal
Highest wicket taker- Trent Boult/Jason Holder
*FOR THE GAME:*
MI to win