MI, LSG set for intense mid-table battle

Mumbai, April 26: A rampaging Mumbai Indians will look to maintain their winning run in a vital mid-table battle against a dangerous Lucknow Super Giants in an Indian Premier League clash here on Sunday.
Placed fourth and sixth respectively, MI and LSG both have an impressive 10 points in their kitty and are only separated by the net run rate, having won five matches each and lost four in nine games so far.
While these two teams will battle for on-field supremacy at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai’s unrelenting heat and humidity will also play its part in testing the players’ readiness to give it all in adverse conditions.
For the visitors, a negative NRR of -0.054 is something they would be keen to improve while hoping that their skipper Rishabh Pant is able to get a big score under his belt.
Pant has managed a lowly 106 runs in nine matches so far this season while shuffling across batting positions to discover what works for him, but none of his efforts seem to have worked.
As Pant grapples with the burden of carrying the highest price tag, the pressure that comes along with it and the immense responsibility of leading a new IPL team, his players have responded well so far.
The challenge, thus, will be greater and a different one for Pant’s visiting side since the hosts Mumbai Indians are familiar with the conditions and have been on a roll, having notched up four wins on the trot to move in the top half of the points table.
Mumbai are peaking just at the right time and are firing on all cylinders. The form of mainstays such as Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Trent Boult and even Hardik Pandya would pose a lot of threat to MI’s opponents going forward.
Rohit banished an ordinary run of scores with two explosive half-centuries against Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad, finding some consistency with the bat with a slight tweak in his all-out-attack approach.
While there were no major concerns with Suryakumar, the familiar flourish for the ace T20 batter was missing at the start of the IPL but the right-handed batter too has been able to hit his strides like Tilak Varma.
Pandya has been an excellent floater for MI with precise and tight overs while he has been aggressive with the bat, proving to be a dependable option in both his roles.
Deepak Chahar and Boult have found assistance under lights and with the evening sea breeze around in their home matches but the conditions will be a lot different for this game.
For LSG, overseas stars Nicholas Pooran (377 runs), Mitchell Marsh (344) and Aiden Markram (326) have formed the bedrock of their success more often than not and the troika’s returns largely determine their fortunes on the field.
Marsh has thrived in his role as a specialist batter while Pooran has been a class apart, dazzling this IPL with strokes full of Caribbean flavour. Markram has been a dependable silent operator in the side who has performed his role really well.
LSG’s bowling line-up isn’t an intimidating one on paper but is smart enough to work their way around conditions and pitches.
The presence of local man Shardul Thakur, a late signing for LSG who has taken most wickets (12) so far, would be vital in understanding the wicket and forming the plans as they go.
Ravi Bishnoi hasn’t had many wickets but it is Digvesh Rathi who has made a strong mark this IPL, and will once again want to snaffle a few wickets in that MI line-up. (PTI)
Match starts at 3:30pm IST.