Gujarat Lions vs Mumbai Indians Match 54 Preview: Can Mumbai overcome the Lions to reach the playoffs?

The Mumbai Indians have a healthy Net Run Rate after a massive victory against the Delhi Daredevils in their previous match. The Indians are still not assured of a place in the top 4, still needing to win a game and hope that their Net Run Rate is better than their competitors. The Mumbai Indians have won their last 2 games and will have the momentum on their side.

After a brisk start to their debut campaign, the Lions sort of lost their way in the middle and are just about getting back into the groove. Winning their last game comprehensively against the Kolkata Knight Riders by 6 wickets due to the incredible bowling performance of Dwayne Smith, the Lions will hope to finish the job of reaching the top 4 by beating the Mumbai Indians in their final group match.

The Match 54 of VIVO IPL 2016 will take feature the Gujarat Lions taking on the Mumbai Indians at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur.

Match Date and Time: 21 May 2016, 8 pm (IST)Match Venue: Green Park, Kanpur.

Weather:

Temperature: Max 42°C, Min 36°C

Humidity: Max 35%

Wind: 11 km per hour

Pitch Report: Par-score 160. The batting will be hard against the seaming new ball, but will be better as the game progresses.

In-Depth Analysis:

The batting woes of the Gujarat Lions continues but the good news for them is that Suresh Raina scored a fifty in the previous match against the Kolkata Knight Riders, giving a boost to his self-confidence and to the batting department. Aaron Finch was a calm figure for the Lions in the previous match when they lost 2 quick wickets, providing some stability to the Gujarat batting and was unfortunately run out due to a miscommunication with fellow batsman Suresh Raina.

Dinesh Karthik failed to provide support after being bowled by Morne Morkel in the previous game. Karthik will need to come good for the Lions and prove that he is a reliable batsman. With Smith and McCullum failing to fire at the top, Karthik will need to spend some time at the crease and guide the Lions to a respectable total.

Dwayne Smith was the surprise package for the Lions in their previous match, picking up 4 wickets while conceding just 8 runs in his 4 overs. The game against the Mumbai Indians will have similar conditions when compared to the game against the Knight Riders. Smith will not shy away when he will be asked to bowl against the Indians.

Rohit Sharma has captained his side to a position where a spot in the top 4 is very much possible and their fate will be in their own hands. The Mumbai Indians batted powerfully in their previous match against the Daredevils and showed how dangerous their batting can be on their day. All-rounder and brother to Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya batted insanely to make the Mumbai Indians reach a massive total. Scoring 86 runs from just 37 deliveries, Krunal has proved that he is more than capable with a bat in his hands apart from his left-arm off spin bowling.

In addition to their strong top order, the Mumbai Indians can use the services of Joss Buttler, Kieron Pollard, and Ambati Rayudu in the middle order. The Mumbai Indians consist of the one of the best batting line-ups on paper but have failed to live up to the expectations on certain occasions. This will be a match that will matter a lot for the Mumbai Indians and their fans and they will come out with all guns firing to claim those 2 points against the Lions.