"This is going to be the biggest battle for Mumbai" - Aakash Chopra on Mumbai Indians' IPL 2023 clash vs Gujarat Titans

Aakash Chopra feels the Mumbai Indians' (MI) fate in IPL 2023 could hinge on the result of their clash against the Gujarat Titans (GT).

The two sides will face off at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Friday, May 12. MI are currently placed fourth in the points table and a win against the defending champions will help them climb into third position and a step closer to qualifying for the playoffs.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra highlighted the game's significance for the Mumbai Indians, elaborating:

"I feel this is going to be the biggest battle for Mumbai. If they win this battle, Mumbai will definitely qualify, but if they lose here, they will get slightly stuck. They are currently in the top four but the road ahead can become slightly difficult."

The former Indian opener pointed out that Rohit Sharma would need to be at the top of his game to counter Mohammad Shami and Hardik Pandya's threat with the new ball, observing:

"The big question is that if Rohit Sharma does not have form at the moment, he will have difficulties this time as well because Mohammad Shami and Hardik Pandya under lights, red-soil pitch, they are going to ask some tough questions one more time."

The Mumbai Indians skipper has aggregated a paltry 12 runs in his last five innings. He offered a return catch to Pandya off the leading edge in the last meeting between the two sides.

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"Ishan Kishan might also have difficulties" - Aakash Chopra on the other Mumbai Indians batters

Ishan Kishan scored 13 runs off 21 balls in the reverse fixture. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra doesn't see Ishan Kishan having an easy time in the middle either, reasoning:

"Ishan Kishan might also have difficulties this time because the quality of fast bowling in the powerplay overs will be a notch higher. Not that it was not the case in the last match, but RCB's bowling has started declining for some reason."

The reputed commentator wants the Mumbai Indians to bring back Tilak Varma in their batting lineup if he is fit and available, stating:

"Nehal Wadhera has played very well but you should accommodate Tilak Varma if he is available. Nehal has scored two consecutive fifties but I see Tilak Varma slightly cut above the rest."

Nehal Wadhera will likely hold on to his spot in the Mumbai Indians' batting XI even if Varma is back in the mix. Vishnu Vinod, who was the Impact Player in MI's last game against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, might have to make way for the Hyderabad left-handed batter in such a scenario.