Mumbai Indians (MI) got off to winning ways after losing four of their first five games. That naturally brought myriads of criticism, especially after their terrible run last season. A six-game winning streak shot them back among the big guys, and despite losing two of their last three games, they made their case strong enough not to move from the fourth spot. While that assured them of a playoff position, they will not get another shot to try their luck.
It’s funny how the same scenario exists for Gujarat Titans (GT), who have journeyed from travelling in first class, certain of a top-two finish, to the point where they have to play a game as high stakes as this without any backup. They have lost only five games this season, and two of those came in their last three matches. Luckily for them, they defeated MI twice, once when MI were suffering and once when they were flying high.
The last game between both teams was probably the most exciting face-off of the season. There were rain delays. GT dominated, but MI kept trying to escape their grasp. The clock struck midnight, and an even more dramatic last over capped off the game in Gujarat’s favour.
Team Overview:
Gujarat Titans’ top three scored at an average of 54.88 throughout this season and have largely been the reason behind their dominant run. But with Jos Buttler gone now, their middle order may find itself more exposed than before. They called in Kusal Mendis to fill in for Buttler, and while Mendis did well in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) for Quetta Gladiators (QG) almost a month ago, expecting him to hit the ground running against a bowling lineup like Mumbai Indians, that too in an Eliminator, would be just too cruel. Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan, though, are very capable of averting damage in normal conditions. The pair has scored the second-highest run tally between them for the opening wicket among all teams in an IPL season, and the third-highest for any wicket (909).
Sherfane Rutherford and M Shahrukh Khan are half-decent options to hold the middle order, if the need arises, which puts together their batting into a fine functioning unit. However, GT’s bowling lineup has grown dismal over the past few games. Since the resumption of IPL, GT bowlers have gone for 65.20 runs per wicket, which is in stark contrast to their 27.04 bowling average before that.
MI do not have to worry about anything, as far as their bowling is concerned. With a bowling lineup laced with players like Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, and Hardik Pandya, they will be hard to face. Karn Sharma could be especially lethal on New Chandigarh’s surface, where last night Suyash Sharma wreaked havoc. Will Jacks and Ryan Rickleton have both left for national duty, and while both of them weren’t as impactful for MI as Buttler was for GT, MI will find it difficult to tweak their lineup at this crucial stage. They have called in Jonny Bairstow to replace Rickleton at the top, and could have either Bevon Jacobs or Charith Asalanka come in for Jacks.
Head-to-Head Matches:
Mumbai and Gujarat have played seven games so far, with GT winning five and MI winning two.
Weather and Pitch Report:
Mullanpur has oscillated between being a good batting surface and dishing out the slowest surfaces known to mankind. The venue saw two of IPL’s lowest scores this season being amassed, while also being a ground where crossing the 200-run mark, at times, isn’t seen as too distant a dream. There will be a new surface for the Eliminator. Expect the spinners to hold sway on the likely slow track. With the boundaries being huge, batters might try to rely more on running between the wickets to keep the scorecard ticking. Dew isn’t expected to play much of a role, as it hasn’t done so in the rest of the games here this year.
Prediction:
Both teams have their own challenges to attend to, but MI less so; hence, their chances of eliminating GT are a tad higher.
Where to Watch:
India: Star Sports Network, JioHotstar
UK: Sky Sports, SkyGo
USA: Willow TV
Australia: Kayo TV, FoxTel Go
Bangladesh: T Sports, Toffee app
New Zealand: Sky Sports NZ
Afghanistan: ATN
South Africa: SuperSport
Sri Lanka: Dialog
MENA: Cricbuzz
