Mumbai Indians is also a good prospect to qualify for the playoffs. The team has been playing good cricket for the past two years and hence they stand a chance of making it a hattrick this time around. With the likes of Surya and Ishan Kishan in the middle order and Rohit at the top, the Indian batting core looks sorted. The team has most of its basis covered and looks set to go all the way. Here’s a detailed analysis of how the squad looks at this moment: –
Strengths of Mumbai Indians: –
The strength of Mumbai certainly is their core. The team is formed around senior players that have been with Mumbai for a very long time. Rohit and Pollard have their duties sorted out from the very beginning. To complement these, there is a good set of batsmen around. Surya and Kishan help to keep the scoring in check while Quinton holds the line-up together. Hardik and Krunal, the boys from Baroda provide the final escalating push. Just in case if things go wrong, Pollard saves the day. The lineup is as good as any international team.
The bowling too looks good. Boult and Bumrah will be looking to make the most of the swinging UAE conditions. Marco Jansen adds the much-needed pace and bounce.
Weakness of the Mumbai Indians: –
Mumbai are slow starters. They are currently placed 4th in the points table. But they cannot afford to carry on the same tale this time. They need to pull up their socks from the beginning itself to secure a playoff berth. The other evident weakness is the absence of a backup for Bumrah. You have Arjun Tendulkar and Dhawal Kulkarni but you cannot rely on them since they do not have game time on such a global stage. Mumbai Indians could have gone for someone like Umesh Yadav but those are things of the past.
Opportunities for Mumbai Indians: –
The biggest opportunity is for Rahul Chahar. Rahul has currently pipped Yuzi Chahal in the race to the T20 World Cup but he needs to seal the spot. With faint chances of replacement, Rahul will be looking to win the confidence of all the fans before this grand event. Another opportunity is for Hardik Pandya to get in the groove. Pandya wasn’t in his best touch in the series against England and Sri Lanka and will be looking to get some confidence by bowling a few overs and smacking some sixes.
Threats for Mumbai Indians: –
The biggest threat for Mumbai is the fact that the team can’t score well on a slow wicket. Since they played their first 5 games at Chennai this was quite evident. The slow wicket doesn’t allow the ball to come on to the bat and MI batsmen struggle. But that mustn’t be the case with Dubai. And lastly, the Pandya brothers were supremely off-color in the first leg. They need to put their seat belts tight and play up to their potential.
