With the race for playoffs intensifying, captain Rohit Sharma's form with the bat and bowling in the death overs will be a huge concern for hosts Mumbai Indians when they meet Royal Challengers Bangalore in a mid-table IPL clash here on Tuesday
Mumbai Indians' players celebrate fall of a wicket (Pic: AFP)
With the race for playoffs intensifying, captain Rohit Sharma's form with the bat and bowling in the death overs will be a huge concern for hosts Mumbai Indians when they meet Royal Challengers Bangalore in a mid-table IPL clash here on Tuesday. With 184 runs in 10 matches at a forgettable average of 18.39 and a solitary half-century, Sharma is enduring a second consecutive poor season with the bat. For the sixth-placed Mumbai Indians to move up in the points table, it is imperative that their best batter in the line-up fires.
Also Read: MI vs RCB: Will Rohit Sharma deliver in must-win RCB fixture to be Playoff-ready?
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Sharma's role in this IPL has been to provide brisk starts at the top, and at times he has had some success too, but consistency has deserted the right-arm batter whose early dismissal in huge chases has only added pressure on a relatively new batting line-up, which fortunately, from MI's point of view, has delivered too. Mumbai Indians' head coach Mark Boucher admitted a few games ago that consistency could get compromised if any batter goes out of his way to look for runs, but for Sharma, one of the highest run-getters in the IPL, it is becoming a pattern. In last year's IPL, which also was MI's poorest in terms of performance as they finished last, Sharma averaged a little over 19 while scoring 268 runs in 14 matches.
MI vs RCB: A brief overview
With Sharma not firing at the top, MI have had the likes of Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, and Cameron Green consolidating in the middle while Tilak Varma and Tim David have also found their groove as finishers late in the order.
MI tried taking pressure off Sharma by sending him to No. 3 in their last game against Chennai Super Kings, but it was a move that worked for none of the parties involved. Sharma endured his second consecutive duck and fourth single-digit score on the trot while an otherwise firing Green fell for six at the opening slot.
MI could only make a poor 139/8 in CSK's home ground, losing an away game to their arch-rivals for the first time in 13 years. At the same time, Mumbai Indians will also be concerned about their death overs bowling, having conceded four consecutive totals in excess of 200 while bowling first, two of which were recorded on flat decks here at the Wankhede Stadium.
Full Squads
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (c), Jofra Archer, Arshad Khan, Jason Behrendorff, Dewald Brevis, Piyush Chawla, Tim David, Raghav Goyal, Cameron Green, Ishan Kishan (wk), Duan Jansen, Chris Jordan, Kumar Kartikeya, Akash Madhwal, Riley Meredith, Shams Mulani, Ramandeep Singh, Sandeep Warrier, Hrithik Shokeen, Tristan Stubbs, Arjun Tendulkar, Tilak Varma, Vishnu Vinod, Nehal Wadhera, Suryakumar Yadav.
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Faf du Plessis (c), Akash Deep, Finn Allen, Anuj Rawat, Avinash Singh, Manoj Bhandage, Michael Bracewell, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Siddarth Kaul, Virat Kohli, Mahipal Lomror, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammed Siraj, Wayne Parnell, Harshal Patel, Suyash Prabhudessai, Rajan Kumar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Karn Sharma, Himanshu Sharma, Sonu Yadav, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Kedar Jadhav.
Predicted Playing XIs
Mumbai Indians: Ishan Kishan (wk), Rohit Sharma (capt), Cameron Green, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma/Tristan Stubbs, Nehal Wadhera, Tim David, Piyush Chawla, Kumar Kartikeya/Raghav Goyal, Chris Jordan Akash Madhwal
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Anuj Rawat/Shahbaz Ahmed, Kedar Jadhav, Wanindu Hasaranga, Karn Sharma/Vyshak Vijaykumar, Josh Hazlewood, Mohammed Siraj
MI vs RCB: Toss update
Mumbai Indians win toss, opt to bowl first against RCB at Wankhede
MI vs RCB: Confirmed Playing XIs
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma(c), Ishan Kishan(w), Cameron Green, Suryakumar Yadav, Tim David, Nehal Wadhera, Chris Jordan, Piyush Chawla, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya, Jason Behrendorff.
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis(c), Anuj Rawat, Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik(w), Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Mohammed Siraj, Josh Hazlewood
10:40 PM: 192/3 (16 overs)
Vijaykumar Vyshak is back into the attack and he is hit for a couple of sixes and a boundary by Suryakumar Yadav, before being caught in the deep by Kedar Jadhav. He departs for 83(35).
10:22 PM: 154/2 (14 overs)
A desperate move by Faf du Plessis as he gets his strike bowler Siraj back in the attack. However, this doesn't faze the batters at all, as SKY hits the strike bowler for a boundary and a maximum. He also completes his half-century in 26 balls.
10:10 PM: 75/2 (7 overs)
Even after two wickets in an over. MI are still scoring at 10.47 runs per over. SKY and Wadhera are scoring quick runs to maintain RRR.
9:55 PM: 52/2 (5 overs)
Rohit Sharma is dismissed lbw by Hasaranga as RCB appeal for the decision. Rohit Sharma moves forward to play a shot through the leg side but misses the ball and gets hit on the front pad. The umpire raises his finger for lbw, and RCB opt for a review. Ball-tracking confirms that the ball was hitting the leg stump, and the decision stays in RCB's favour. Hasaranga celebrates his second wicket of the over, having previously removed Quinton de Kock. Rohit Sharma walks back to the pavilion with just 7 runs off 8 balls, including a boundary.
9:42 PM: 41/0 (4 overs)
Hazlewood has been smashed for 102 meters six. Ishan is playing with a strike rate of 188, with 3 sixes and 3 boundaries
9:30 PM: 19/0 (2 overs)
19 runs come from the first two overs of the chase. MI will want to keep wickets in hand and they know that 200 is an easy chase at Wankhede.
9:10 PM: 185/6 (18 overs)
Karthik departs after being caught by Nehal Wadhera off Jordan's bowling! The delivery was a 139.5kph cutter which hit the pitch, causing Karthik to mistime his pull shot. The ball ended up in the hands of Wadhera at deep mid-wicket. Karthik scored 30 runs off 18 deliveries, hitting 4 boundaries and 1 six.
8:55 PM: 152/5 (15 Overs)
RCB pin hopes on Dinesh Karthik and Kedar Jadhav as Faf du Plessis departs for 65 off 41 balls, he is caught by Vishnu Vinod bowled by Cameron Green. RCB will a total of atleast 200 plus at the moment.
8:46 PM: 142/3 (13 Overs)
Glenn Maxwell 68 (33) caught by Nehal Wadhera bowled by Behrendorff, what a time to take a wicket for his team. Finally, MI break the partnership as the dangerous Maxwell departs. Can RCB post a total above 210 runs from here now.
8:36 PM: 112/2 (11 Overs)
First Glenn Maxwell and now the captain Faf du Plessis completes also completes his fifty in just 30 balls. Royal Challengers Bangalore look in dangerous mood at the moment as both batters look to push the paddle now.
8:23 PM: 91/2 (9 Overs)
A fine partnership of 71 runs now between RCB skipper Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell as they keep on toying with the Mumbai Indians bowling attack. MI captain Rohit Sharma clueless at the moment as both batters look in dangerous rhythm.
8:10 PM: 68/2 (7 Overs)
Glenn Maxwell and Faf du Plessis are in fine rhythm at the moment as they keep the run-rate close to 10 runs per over. Mumbai Indians bring in Chris Jordan into the attack to break this partnership.
8:02 PM: 53/2 (5.2 Overs)
Glenn Maxwell and Faf du Plessis are in the middle for RCB and both batters look in fine rhythm at the moment. Rohit Sharma brings in Piyush Chawla to attack the stumps now.
7:50 PM: 20/2 (3 Overs)
Anuj Rawat is caught by Cameron Green bowled by Behrendorff. What a start for the Mumbai Indians as RCB lose another wicket inside the powerplay. Glenn Maxwell joins Faf du Plessis in the middle now.
7:40 PM: 3/1 (1 Over)
Big wicket! Virat Kohli is gone! caught behind by Ishan Kishan bowled by Behrendorff. What a start for the Mumbai Indians as Royal Challengers Bangalore lose their star opener early in the innings.
7:30 PM: Match begins!
Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis open the innings for the Royal Challengers Bangalore eyeing a fiery start in the powerplay. Chris Jordan attacks the stumps for Mumbai Indians looking for an early wicket.
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