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It’s the Maharashtra Derby coming our way today, as Pune Warriors India are ready to host neighbours Mumbai Indians at Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, Pune. It is all done and dusted for the Pune boys in this IPL, and they will look to salvage some pride as they try to beat a mighty MI side. MI will look to cement their place in the play-offs by winning this game. PWI are coming from their 11th defeat of the season against KKR, in which they were bundled out for a mere 106 while chasing 153 for a win. On the other hand, MI also coincidentally played KKR in their last match, which they won convincingly by 65 runs. PWI are languishing in 9th place on the points table with only 2 wins this season. MI are placed 3rd with 8 wins so far.
PWI’s woes with both bat and ball have continued all through the season this year. Their bowling has been as bad as their batting, if not worse. Their batsmen have taken them close to victory on many occasions, but somehow they tend to find ways of losing the games. Robin Uthappa and skipper Aaron Finch have often provided them with a good start, but their vulnerable middle order has been the main culprit. Yuvraj Singh has been very disappointing and never looked comfortable in the middle. After Steve Smith went home following his injury, the likes of Angelo Mathews and Mitchell Marsh have stood up on some occasions, but could not finish the job well. The bowlers have been awful, barring Bhuvaneshwar Kumar. Ashok Dinda, Wayne Parnell and Angelo Mathews have all gone for plenty. Parvez Rasool, the first player from Kashmir to play in the IPL, was pretty impressive in the last game. Mitchell Marsh is the other bowler who has come up with some reasonable spells.
MI have been impressive like any other season, and they will look to continue their winning momentum going into this match. Their batsmen have been clicking right from the word go. Sachin Tendulkar looked ominous in the last game against KKR. Dwyane Smith has been consistent at the top. The likes of Dinesh Karthik, Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard have been merciless in their efforts of piling up quick runs. The batting looks fearsome, and they wont be too worried about that department. Similarly, their bowling attack, with the likes of Lasith Malinga, Mitchell Johnson, Harbhajan Singh, Pragyan Ojha and Dhawal Kulkarni, is capable of running through any batting line-up on their day.
Conditions:
The pitch here has been a little slow and low. In the last game, we saw a small tinge of grass on the pitch, which might help the batsmen to time the ball a bit better, assuming the conditions remain the same. The team winning the toss should look to bat first on a pitch which seems to play some tricks with it’s uneven bounce in the second innings.
Key players for PWI:
Robin Uthappa- This stylish right-hander has been their only dependable player, firing more often than not in their recent games. If he gets going at the top, PWI might be well on their way to a reasonable total.
Aaron Finch- The PWI skipper has been in good form this year, and has often provided his side with quickfire starts at the top. He will look to put up a good partnership with Uthappa opening the batting today.
Key players for MI:
Rohit Sharma- The Mumbai Indians’ captain has been in cracking form and is striking the ball well. His contribution in the middle order holds the key to Mumbai’s chances in this match.
Kieron Pollard- The big-built Caribbean right-hander has been an asset for the Mumbai side, especially with his hard-hitting capabilities and clever changes of pace when bowling. He plays the anchor role in the side, considering his all-round performances so far.
Head to head:
The win-loss ratio is heavily skewed in the favour of MI, who won 4 out of the 5 games they played against PWI combining all the seasons. PWI could only manage to sneak a single win so far against MI.
Possible XI:
PWI- Aaron Finch(c), Robin Uthappa, Yuvraj Singh, Angelo Mathews, M Rawat(c)/A Nayar, UA Birla, Mitchell Marsh/Luke Wright, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Parvez Rasool, Wayne Parnell/Ashok Dinda and Karan Upadhyay/Rahul Sharma.
MI- Dwayne Smith, Sachin Tendulkar, Dinesh Karthik(wk), Rohit Sharma(c), Kieron Pollard, Ambati Rayudu, Harbhajan Singh, Mitchell Johnson, Y Chahal/A Ahmed, Lasith Malinga and Pragyan Ojha.
