In the second game against RR, we put up a spirited show and held decent control of the game until the rain halted all progress. Eventually, the D/L method revised our target to 71 runs from 36 balls. The ask was tough, but not beyond the reach of a line-up that boasts of some of the biggest hitters on the planet such as Glenn Maxwell and Colin Munro. Maxwell had an off day and Munro had an unlucky one with a horrible mix up on ball one. Having said that, the team will look to put all of that behind them and focus on the challenges that await. The first among them – MI vs DD in the Wankhede Stadium.
With both teams taking losses in their first two games, they will be eager to get some points against their names on the table.
The Bowling Gains Momentum
Our team is steadily gaining momentum as far as the individual bowling performances are concerned. The bowlers did an excellent job in the previous game to restrict a powerful Royals batting line up to about 8.50 runs per over. Trent Boult in particular had his shape going for him, something he didn’t quite get in the first outing, Boult, Chris Morris and Mohammed Shami will hold the key in keeping the big-hitting Mumbai openers like Rohit Sharma and Evin Lewis from scoring early in the innings.
The likes of Shahbaz Nadeem and Rahul Tewatia will also play a crucial role during the middle overs. They will look to take wickets every now and then to put a brake on the scoring rates. MI do have some skillful players of spin bowling, and it will be interesting to see how Gautam Gambhir decides to use his spinners.
Batting Needs to Fire
Colin Munro hasn’t been among the runs in the last couple games, and Maxwell failed in his first outing. Those two are of vital importance to our fate this season, and the fans will be hoping they get back to their best against the defending champions in their own backyard. If they do, they are capable of winning us games almost single-handedly.
Gautam Gambhir will probably get back into his opening position. He will look to bat through the overs while the hitters compile boundaries around him. Shreyas Iyer will look to play a similar role while Rishabh Pant will not deviate from his natural instincts. The freedom that Gambhir and Ponting have given their hard-hitters will bear fruit sooner rather than later. To get back to winning ways, the powerful DD batting line-up will have to fire on all cylinders.
DD had gone into the Royals game with two changes - Glenn Maxwell in place of Daniel Christian and Shahbaz Nadeem in place of Amit Mishra. The line-up could be similar going into this match. It’s only been two games and we doubt Gambhir will look to chop and change a lot this early in the tournament.
The Mental Side
The confidence of both the teams must have taken a dent after two consecutive losses. The fear of a third loss on the trot will haunt both the teams. The match will belong to the team that holds their own and shows tremendous mental fortitude. Knowing Gambhir, he’s more than capable of inspiring his men to come out on top in the face of adversity. He’s hungry for wins. Don’t be surprised if he manages to turn things around from here.
VIVO IPL Match 9: MI vs DD, 4 pm IST
VENUE: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
BROADCAST: Star Sports Network
In the second game against RR, we put up a spirited show and held decent control of the game until the rain halted all progress. Eventually, the D/L method revised our target to 71 runs from 36 balls. The ask was tough, but not beyond the reach of a line-up that boasts of some of the biggest hitters on the planet such as Glenn Maxwell and Colin Munro. Maxwell had an off day and Munro had an unlucky one with a horrible mix up on ball one. Having said that, the team will look to put all of that behind them and focus on the challenges that await. The first among them – MI vs DD in the Wankhede Stadium.
With both teams taking losses in their first two games, they will be eager to get some points against their names on the table.
The Bowling Gains Momentum
Our team is steadily gaining momentum as far as the individual bowling performances are concerned. The bowlers did an excellent job in the previous game to restrict a powerful Royals batting line up to about 8.50 runs per over. Trent Boult in particular had his shape going for him, something he didn’t quite get in the first outing, Boult, Chris Morris and Mohammed Shami will hold the key in keeping the big-hitting Mumbai openers like Rohit Sharma and Evin Lewis from scoring early in the innings.
The likes of Shahbaz Nadeem and Rahul Tewatia will also play a crucial role during the middle overs. They will look to take wickets every now and then to put a brake on the scoring rates. MI do have some skillful players of spin bowling, and it will be interesting to see how Gautam Gambhir decides to use his spinners.
Batting Needs to Fire
Colin Munro hasn’t been among the runs in the last couple games, and Maxwell failed in his first outing. Those two are of vital importance to our fate this season, and the fans will be hoping they get back to their best against the defending champions in their own backyard. If they do, they are capable of winning us games almost single-handedly.
Gautam Gambhir will probably get back into his opening position. He will look to bat through the overs while the hitters compile boundaries around him. Shreyas Iyer will look to play a similar role while Rishabh Pant will not deviate from his natural instincts. The freedom that Gambhir and Ponting have given their hard-hitters will bear fruit sooner rather than later. To get back to winning ways, the powerful DD batting line-up will have to fire on all cylinders.
DD had gone into the Royals game with two changes - Glenn Maxwell in place of Daniel Christian and Shahbaz Nadeem in place of Amit Mishra. The line-up could be similar going into this match. It’s only been two games and we doubt Gambhir will look to chop and change a lot this early in the tournament.
The Mental Side
The confidence of both the teams must have taken a dent after two consecutive losses. The fear of a third loss on the trot will haunt both the teams. The match will belong to the team that holds their own and shows tremendous mental fortitude. Knowing Gambhir, he’s more than capable of inspiring his men to come out on top in the face of adversity. He’s hungry for wins. Don’t be surprised if he manages to turn things around from here.
VIVO IPL Match 9: MI vs DD, 4 pm IST
VENUE: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
BROADCAST: Star Sports Network
