What’s the story?
Former Kings XI Punjab coach Sanjay Bangar has backed Mumbai Indians to win the 2017 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Indian team’s current batting coach also attributed Mumbai’s impressive form thus far to regular contributions from a wide variety of players.
“Predictions are always difficult in the T20 format because it (the game) changes so quickly. But the teams sitting at the top of the table have a very good chance. At the moment, I see Mumbai Indians as the clear favourites,” Bangar told India Today.
He added, “It's not necessary that everything has to be done by one person. You saw with other teams which relied too much on one individual to perform. It's not possible because it's a team sport and contribution must come from every player whether he bats or bowls, whether he bats in the first six or bats 10 balls in the last few overs. A team like Mumbai Indians has had a lot of contributors. That's why they are at the top.”
The Context
From 12 matches until now, Mumbai have won as many as nine games and accumulated 18 points to establish their dominance at the top of the league table. They also became the first team to qualify for the playoffs.
The heart of the matter
Unlike some of the other teams, Mumbai Indians do not have a single entry on the list of top ten run-getters in this season (ahead of the game against Kings XI Punjab on Thursday). Instead, five of their batsmen have scored 250 runs or more. The top run-scorers for them have been Nitish Rana, Kieron Pollard, Parthiv Patel, Jos Buttler and Rohit Sharma.
In the bowling department, they have three bowlers with 10 or more wickets. Mitchell McClenaghan leads the way with 17 scalps while Jasprit Bumrah and Krunal Pandya have also made an impression in the tournament. With vital contributions from veteran spinner Harbhajan Singh as well as the experienced Lasith Malinga, the table toppers have formed a dangerous attack.
What’s next?
Mumbai take on Kolkata Knight Riders for their final group game of the season on Saturday at the Eden Gardens. The playoffs are slated to begin on Tuesday at the Wankhede Stadium.
Author’s Take
With individual contributions coming in from various quarters, Mumbai Indians appear to be better placed than the other contenders to lift the trophy. However, as we have often seen during the playoffs, momentum will be key and performances under pressure make the business stages of the tournament quite unpredictable.
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