After the conclusion of T20 World Cup 2016, it’s time to make way for India’s next T20 extravaganza, Indian Premier League (IPL) season 9 starting from April 9. Mumbai Indians and IPL’s new franchise Rising Pune Supergiants will be opening the account on Saturday at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium. MI are already defending champions securing their second win in 2015, and this time around, they will aim to be the first team to win third title. Experienced players such as Rohit Sharma, Kieron Pollard and Hrabhajan Singh add more depth to their side. With players like Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya already achieving the fame with IPL as the stepping stone, it only gets better. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: Mumbai Indians vs Rising Pune Supergiants, IPL 2016, Match 1 at Mumbai
Head coach Ricky Ponting who started off as a player for the team, the team will only look to get better with their performance. West Indies cricketer Lendl Simmons is on high after his spectacular performance in semi-final against India and he could play a key role for MI. With the likes of Mitchell McClenaghan, Corey Anderson and Tim Southee, it can only get better. Here are the MI likely XI as they take on RPS on Saturday:
Top order: As witnessed in the earlier outings of MI, they have struggled with opening batsman but with Lendl Simmons and Parthiv Patel or could be Unmukt Chand as well coming with depth of knowledge of domestic cricket, can surely give the right momentum for their side. As Rohit mentioned in the press conference at Mumbai on Thursday that he’d like to open but it depends on the needs of Mumbai Indians. But surely if the top order fails to live up to expectations, Rohit is absolutely reliable. Considering the match is at their home ground, they will be at their destructive best.
Middle order: England’s wicket-keeper and middle order batsman Jos Buttler can provide impetus with his aggresive approach. Then you have the all-rounders making an entry with Corey Anderson who has been helpful for New Zealand during the T20 World Cup 2016 and then you have at No.6 Hardik Pandya breaking the field with his big shots like the way he has taken MI earlier to the finishing role. Similarly, Ambati Rayudu will be the ideal person to come at No.7 to add some finishing touch with his valuable 20-30 runs to give the boost in scoreboard. READ:IPL 2016 Schedule, Time Table, Fixture PDF Download
Lower order & bowling: The lower order hands down will include Harbhajan Singh who can bring some energy to the innings with big shots if MI will be chasing a huge total; but in case they are the first to bat, MI can make use of Krunal Pandya the new bee who is equally strong with the bat like his brother and is an potential off-spinner. On the hindsight, if there is a dire need for the No. 10 person to come in, it will be Mitchell McClenaghan who’s been handy in time of need for Kiwis during T20 World Cup.
Bowling will be crucial for MI, as they will not want to give away runs if they are bowling second. With the likes of Vinay Kumar, who has had experience with Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders,will hold a key as well. Though Jasprit Bumrah has all the experience after playing for the national side, the real challenge will lie how he can fair from where he gained the fame. McClenaghan, after his decent show in World T20, will try to continue his stellar performance. As for Harbhajan, he will want to create a mark for himself after being away from the major tournament.
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