HYDERABAD: Despite a defeat in their season opener, Mumbai Indians have a lot to be pleased about. Mayank Markande’s dream debut lays to rest some of the concerns about their inexperience in the spin department. Their middle order showed enough maturity for Rohit Sharma to continue as the opener. And they have been in this situation before: Mumbai have not won their first game for the past six seasons, yet they have won the IPL in three of those six years.
What will worry them, though, are the performances of their specialist bowlers. Jasprit Bumrah and Mustafizur Rahman, considered to among the world’s best quicks at the end of the innings, conceded 76 runs off 47 balls, while Mitchell McClenaghan went at 11 per over. For Mumbai to get their first win this season, these three will have to finish with prettier numbers.
It won’t be easy for Mumbai, who are up against the team with the most dominant performance of the season thus far. With the bat, Shikhar Dhawan and Kane Williamson showed that Sunrisers Hyderabad know how to win in David Warner’s absence. The numbers also suggest Wriddhiman Saha enjoys batting against Mumbai. Their power-packed middle order is still untested, and while that may serve as a disadvantage, rest assured the trio of Yusuf Pathan, Manish Pandey and Shakib Al Hasan will be raring to have a hit.
Sunrisers also have a potent spin unit, with Rashid Khan and Shakib already having an impact in the game against Royals, but Mumbai’s middle order consists of players who can combat them. In Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav and brothers Krunal and Hardik Pandya, Mumbai have a batting order that could make for an absorbing contest against spin.
Pat Cummins, Mumbai’s INR 5.4 crore (USD 831,475) purchase, has been ruled out of the IPL due to a back-related injury. He did not even arrive in India. They have not named a replacement player yet. Hardik Pandya twisted his ankle on Saturday, but Rohit has said that he should be fit.
Sunrisers have no such injury concerns.
