CL T20 preview: Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals

Rohit Sharma

Mumbai Indians (MI):

Mumbai Indians will go into the game as overwhelming favourites simply because of the squad they possess, and the recent taste of IPL success should give them confidence. Looks like the entire squad has had time to settle in and get acclimatized to the conditions at this time of the year and also at the beginning of a season in the Indian cricketing calendar when the pitches will be a factor in all the venues allotted for the tournament.

But, absence of Malinga in the MI’s camp will bother the team management and they will have to sort out their available bowling resources for various stages of a T20 innings. But above everything, on paper, you should see Mumbai Indians being outright favourites before that first ball is bowled.

Players to watch out for in the MI squad:

• Mitchell Johnson

Mitchell Johnson will be the leader of the bowling attack in the absence of Lasith Malinga, who has pulled out of the squad citing family reasons. Bowling alongside Malinga in the last IPL edition, Johnson made the new ball talk by swinging it back into the right hander and had the likes of Badrinath and Aaron Finch in more than a spot of bother.

• Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma will have a huge part to play at the top of the batting order. He is a complete batsman who can shift gears according to the need of the hour.

Strengths of Mumbai Indians:

MI’s strength will no doubt be their batting order, filled with stroke makers from number 1 to 7 and it’s high time that MI’s batsmen bring their best to the fore and make a few extra runs to make up for the loss of Malinga. Having Kieron Pollard at Number 7 will give Mumbai Indians the cushion of rebuilding an innings in case of a top-order fallout.

The experience of Harbhajan Singh as the lead spinner will no doubt be a distinct advantage for MI to slow down things in case their fast bowlers have an off day. He can also be looked at like a wicket taking option.

Possible chinks in MI’s armour:

Absence of Lasith Malinga, without a shadow of doubt, will be a huge whammy for Mumbai Indians not only on the bowling front but, being the nucleus of the side all these years, he was their ‘go to man’ every time they were in a spot of bother. In Malinga’s absence, it’d be interesting to see how Rohit sharma uses his bowling resources.

Malinga was flexible with bowling at the top of the innings and also coming at the death to stifle the run flow but, in his absence, Johnson will have to shoulder that responsibility.

Their opening combination has been a weak link all these years and it’s difficult to think that this shortcoming of theirs is resolved. Tendulkar will look to make the most of his final stint with Mumbai Indians and that could inspire him to take his game to another level.

It’d be intriguing to see who happens to open with Tendulkar, and though Dwayne Smith will be an automatic choice, you can’t rule out Glenn Maxwell getting a look in for this edition of Champions League. But, either way, you got to believe, all of MI’s opponents will look to exploit them right at the top of their batting order.

Shane Watson

Rajasthan Royals (RR):

Tag of ‘underdogs’ has followed Rajasthan Royals ever since their first competitive game in the Indian Premier League and it will be no different when they take the field against Mumbai Indians tomorrow. They have a good squad overall with all the paces covered in the batting as well as the bowling department.

So, it’s about getting their act together on the night that will win games for them, because, in the past, they seemed to capitulate under pressure when the situation demanded them to hold their nerve and that will once again be a factor in tomorrow’s high – profile game.

Players to watch out for in the RR squad:

• Stuart Binny

Binny has grown in stature in the last couple of IPL editions and his role as an all-rounder has served RR very well. Also, his flexibility to bat anywhere in the batting order will give Rahul Dravid a big weapon to unleash depending on the state of the game. Also, his gentle medium pace bowling could be of big help to RR if the pitch on offer turns out to be a dry one which could suit Binny’s style of bowling.

• Kevon Cooper

Cooper has been RR’s talisman ever since he was offered a contract at the Jaipur-based franchise. His deceptive bowling has caused problems to many an IPL side. Not to underestimate his handy batting skills that could get RR some vital runs during the slog overs. No wonder why, I would look to him as the possible game changer come tomorrow.

Strengths of Rajasthan Royals:

Playing at their home ground (Jaipur), which has been their fortress all these years, should stand them in good stead. They have churned out victories in streaks at this ground on a consistent basis and the nature of the wicket should suit them.

Presence of Watson at the top of the batting order and Hodge towards the latter end of the innings should intimidate Mumbai Indian’s bowling which is without the services of ‘Slinga’ Malinga.

Presence of all-rounders like Binny and Watson makes Rajasthan Royals formidable opponents, as a certain Watson or Binny could turn out to be match winners on their day and lack of such proven all-rounders in the MI setup should be of psychological advantage to RR.

Possible chinks in RR’s armor:

It is difficult to count the number of times RR squandered winning positions in the past and failed to close games out. It’s only inevitable that, they will be aware of this habit which could put unnecessary pressure on their shoulders.

Also, whenever RR failed to impress in the past, their team as a whole flopped miserably. Likes of Shane Watson, Ajinkya Rahane and Shaun Tait choked together and that didn’t augur well for the team. As far as RR is concerned, it’s more about conquering their mind more than anything else.

Having a look at the squad, it suggests to me that, it is too ‘fast bowling heavy’ and the lack of a proven quality spinner could play into the hands of Mumbai Indians.

Pitch Conditions:

The 22-yard-strip at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur is batsmen friendly with good pace and bounce and to go with that, the lightning quick outfield should make it a high-scoring game. It’s difficult to think that dew would play a factor during this time of the season, which means it’s all down to meritorious cricket that should win the game.

MI Squad for clt20 2013:

Rohit Sharma (capt), Sachin Tendulkar, Dwayne Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Dinesh Karthick(WK), Kieron Pollard, Ambati Rayudu, Rishi Dhawan, Harbhajan Singh, Mitchell Johnson, Abu Nechim, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pragyan Ojha, Lasith Malinga and Akshar Patel.

RR Squad for clt20 2013:

Rahul Dravid (capt), Ajinkya Rahane, Stuart Binny, Sanju Samson, Ashok Menaria, Dishant Yagnik(WK), Vikramjeet Malik, Rahul Shukla, Pravin Tambe, Siddarth Trivedi, Shane Watson, Brad Hodge, James Faulkner, Kevon Cooper and Shaun Tait.

My Verdict:

The toss shouldn’t be a factor and any side which wins the toss would want to bowl first and get a feel of the conditions. In the past, Jaipur has always favoured batting second as par totals have been difficult to defend. Mumbai Indians will start as favourites even though Rajasthan Royals are playing in their fortress, simply because of Mumbai’s confidence levels which must be sky high.

But, if Rajasthan Royals can get off to a good start, this could be a great game in the making.