Mumbai Indians gear up to face Gujarat Titans in IPL 2023 Clash

Defending champions Gujarat Titans are set to lock horns with five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) in an IPL 2023 encounter at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on May 12. MI, led by Rohit Sharma, enter the match on the back of a convincing victory against RCB in their previous game, where they chased down a target of 200 with 21 balls to spare. In the current season, MI has won six out of their eleven matches, currently occupying the fourth spot on the points table.

Although MI started the season with defeats against RCB and CSK, they quickly regained momentum with three consecutive wins against DC, KKR, and SRH. They faced back-to-back losses against PBKS and defending champions Gujarat Titans. In a thrilling encounter at the Wankhede Stadium, MI successfully chased down 213 against RR, displaying their remarkable batting prowess. They continued their impressive run by chasing down a mammoth target of 215 against PBKS, guided by the stellar performances of Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav. However, MI stumbled against CSK for the second time this season. In their latest match, Suryakumar Yadav’s explosive knock of 83 off 35 balls propelled MI to a six-wicket victory after Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell’s fifties had set a competitive total of 199/6 for RCB.

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Tilak Varma, who has scored 274 runs at a strike rate of 158, missed a couple of games due to illness but is expected to return if fit. Ishan Kishan has been in good form throughout the season, accumulating 335 runs so far. On the other hand, skipper Rohit Sharma has had an inconsistent season, managing only 191 runs in 11 games. Sharma has faced criticism from former cricketers, and MI will be hoping for his resurgence to silence his detractors in style.

Cameron Green has also contributed significantly with 274 runs, while Suryakumar Yadav leads the team with 376 runs this season.

MI’s matches this season have often followed a similar pattern, with the bowlers conceding 200 or more runs, only for the batters to rescue the team with their explosive innings. Chris Jordan made an appearance against RCB, replacing Jofra Archer in the squad but ended up conceding 48 runs in his four overs. Riley Meredith could be given an opportunity in the next game as a potential replacement.

Jason Behrendorff and Riley Meredith have jointly picked up 18 wickets so far, but their economy rates have been on the higher side, surpassing 10 runs per over.

Surprisingly, Piyush Chawla has emerged as the standout performer for MI this season. The veteran spinner leads the team’s wicket-takers with 17 dismissals at an economy rate of 7. Cameron Green has also contributed with six wickets. Hrithik Shokeen and Arjun Tendulkar have made valuable contributions with some crucial scalps as well.

While Arshad Khan has picked up five wickets, his expensive spells might lead to his exclusion from the side, with Akash Madhwal expected to retain his place. Among the spinners, one among Shokeen, Kartikeya, and Raghav Goyal will accompany Chawla in the playing XI. Tim David, Nehal Wadhera, Arjun Tendulkar, Hrithik Shokeen, or Sandeep Warrier could be potential impact players for MI.