IPL 2017 Playoffs, MI vs RPS: Mumbai Indians are the team to beat ahead of Qualifier

On Saturday, Mumbai Indians beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 9 runs. It was possibly their biggest show of supreme confidence and arrogance if you will this season. KKR had been consistent in the first half or more of the season but lost way later. Irrespective, they’re by no means a team that could be taken lightly. And yet, MI, assured of a top-two finish, had the audacity and the confidence to play with a second string side. In the tough competition that is the IPL, MI had the self-confidence to rest a few key players. Lasith Malinga, Parthiv Patel, Nitish Rana, Mitchell McClenaghan, Jasrprit Bumrah and Harbhajan Singh were allowed to relax and the bench strength was tested with Ambati Rayudu, Saurabh Tiwary, Krunal Pandya, Vinay Kumar, Tim Southee and Mitchell Johnson coming in.

And yet, Mumbai came out victorious by 9 runs and brought to an end Kolkata’s splendid spell of five years without losing while chasing at Eden Gardens.

As far as the standings go, Mumbai finished with 10 wins and four losses from the 14 matches at a net run rate of +0.784. The four defeats being the two losses to Rising Pune Supergiant – their rivals in the first Qualifier – and back-to-back defeats to Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kings XI Punjab.

Mumbai have solid squad which is full of experience and also youngsters brimming with enthusiasm and drive to win and take the team towards the title. The youngsters would be bolstered by the presence of experienced heads in Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Kieron Pollard, Ambati Rayudu, Lasith Malinga as the business end of the IPL gets underway. All have them have won two IPL crowns and are expected to be part of starting XI come Tuesday.

Mumbai’s batting can be attributed to their strong suit with eight players scoring fifties – this is a clear sign of the entire team taking over the responsibility of chipping in with runs and not being over reliant on individuals.

Just when you think the team is all about experience, there are young guns knocking on the door and making their mark too. Top of the list would be Nitish Rana who not only is knocking on the door but has slammed on the door with his suave batting skills. After a strong start to the tournament, he’s dropped in form to pick up 333 runs in 13 matches.

To further aid Mumbai’s quest to move into the final on the first attempt, RPS would be without Ben Stokes and Imran Tahir – both of whom have returned to their national sides as South Africa tour England prior to the ICC Champions Trophy.

The MI team management would have to take a call on Rana’s inclusion though. In the last six innings, he’s only scored 78 runs and Ambati Rayudu has chipped in to create space for himself.

Courtesy : indianexpress