Gujarat Titans look to extend lead | IPL 2022: GT vs MI Team Analysis

It’s a match where Gujarat Titans, who have virtually qualified for the play-offs, will look to extend their lead, and Mumbai Indians, who happen to have been knocked out of this season’s IPL, will be looking to cause some last moment hiccups for other teams who still are eligible to qualify for play-offs. The 51st match will be played at Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. Here is the team analysis:

Team analysis of Gujarat Titans

Strengths: It’s a team that has won six times this season and with their top order issues having resolved for the time being. The inclusion of Wridhhiman Saha at the top has been instrumental for GT getting a head start in the powerplay. Sai Sudharshan at number 3 has looked comfortable and can play both the roles – of either being an enforcer or steadying the ship for the team.

Their bowling unit has been their biggest asset with Rashid Khan being the protagonist in the middle overs, bowling tight overs and picking up wickets at regular intervals. Mohammed Shami has been great at the start, picking up 9 wickets within the powerplay overs.

Weaknesses: Shubman Gill’s form has been poor ever since that 96 against Punjab Kings. He has been poor with his shot selections and is a cause of concern for the team management.

The bowling has been good but it’s Lockie Ferguson who has been leaking runs constantly. The bowling unit while defending totals haven’t looked their best, they often look out of place with no bowler Rashid Khan looking comfortable while defending a total.

Team analysis of Mumbai Indians

Strengths: After finally getting their first point for the season and being virtually out of the race for play-offs, MI camp can and should look to cause last moment hiccups to the other teams by playing an uninhibited and unhindered game of cricket.

Ishan Kishan amongst runs is a great sign for the team management because of his ability to destroy any bowler on his given day. With a decent record against Mohammad Shami and Rashid Khan, he can be expected to do well against them.

Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, and Dewald Brevis have been MI’s batting mainstay this season. All three have scored runs as well at a good strike rate. The inclusion of Tim David as a pinch hitter gives the much-needed relief to an already struggling Kieron Pollard.

The bowling seems to have done just good with Jasprit Bumrah being economical with an economy rate of 7.45, Riley Meredith for all his inconsistencies in picking up wickets, and Kumar Kartikeya impressing everyone with a good performance in his debut match.

Weaknesses: The enigma around Kieron Pollard’s downfall can be traced back to the year 2020 when he last had an impressive IPL season. Ever since that many shortcomings have been magnified – like weakness against the short ball, leg-spin and googly.

This season he has managed to score 124 runs at a strike rate of 120 with a dot ball percentage of 43.3 per cent. These are the stats of somebody who is playing at the number 6 position for the team. This means that MI have found them struggling to finish games that they were earlier able to do thanks to Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya.

Impact player for Gujarat Titans

Rashid Khan: A bowler who can stop the opposition batters single-handedly, a batter who can hit some lusty blows, and a fielder who is a livewire on the field, Rashid Khan is an asset for whichever team he plays for.

Impact player for Mumbai Indians

Suryakumar Yadav: While everyone around him has struggled this season. He is the team’s second-highest run-getter with 290 runs at a strike rate of 147 and has also bailed out the team from tough situations.

Head-to-head: The teams haven’t played each other.