"You might not see Arjun Tendulkar playing here" - Aakash Chopra on Mumbai Indians' likely changes for IPL 2023 clash against SRH

Aakash Chopra reckons the Mumbai Indians (MI) might not field Arjun Tendulkar in their starting XI for their IPL 2023 clash against the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH).

The two sides will lock horns at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Tuesday, April 18. Tendulkar went wicketless and conceded 17 runs in the two overs he bowled on his IPL debut in MI's previous game against the Kolkata Knight Riders.

While previewing the MI-SRH clash in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra opined that Arjun Tendulkar and Duan Jansen are unlikely to figure in the Mumbai Indians' XI, saying:

"I feel there will be a few changes in bowling here. You will not see Duan Jansen. You will see either Jason Behrendorff or Jofra Archer if he is available. Riley Meredith will be there in any case. I feel you might not see Arjun Tendulkar playing here, there is a strong possibility."

The former Indian opener sees Rohit Sharma and Co. bolstering their spin-bowling department by adding either Kumar Kartikeya or Shams Mulani, reasoning:

"There will be some changes in spin bowling as well. Either Kumar Kartikeya or Shams Mulani can play this match because Hyderabad have so many right-handers. You would want to bowl a lot of spin that is taking the ball away. So Piyush Chawla or Kumar Kartikeya in front of Harry Brook and a lot of spin in the powerplay overs itself."

Piyush Chawla, with five scalps, is the Mumbai Indians' most successful bowler in IPL 2023 thus far. While Kartikeya returned figures of 1/24 off four overs in the only match he has played, Mulani is yet to play a game in the tournament.

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"Mumbai have the batting might" - Aakash Chopra on the Mumbai Indians' possible lineup

Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma will likely open the batting for MI. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra pointed out that the Mumbai Indians' stronger suit is their batting, observing:

"Mumbai have the batting might. They trick us a little with regards to Cameron Green, about where he would bat. They put his name at No. 1 but he doesn't come there. So Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma and then Suryakumar Yadav."

The cricketer-turned-commentator expects the five-time champions to retain the same batting order they employed against KKR, stating:

"Surya is playing well. He is back in form, which felt good. After that, Tilak Varma, then Tim David, Cameron Green and Nehal Wadhera. They will have a similar batting order to what they had earlier."

The Mumbai Indians used Rohit Sharma as the 'Impact Player' against KKR. Suryakumar Yadav, who led MI in that game, batted at No. 3 and played a 43-run knock after aggregating just 16 runs in his first three outings.