Both Rohit Sharma (L) and KL Rahul (R) will be keen to notch up their first big score of the IPL 2022
Mumbai Indians (MI) are yet to register a win in IPL 2022 and will hope to get off the mark against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai today, April 16.
Debutants LSG have won three of their five matches and currently find themselves fifth in the standings. The KL Rahul-led side have a plethora of multi-faceted players and are a potent team in the IPL.
Mumbai, on the other hand, have looked listless so far, losing their first five fixtures. While they haven’t been anywhere near their best, the five-time champions boast several match-winners in their ranks. The likes of Rohit Sharma, Keiron Pollard and Jasprit Bumrah will look to guide their team to their first points today.
Ahead of the high-profile clash between MI and LSG, we look at three intense player battles to watch out for.
#3 Suryakumar Yadav vs Ravi Bishnoi
Since returning from injury, Suryakumar Yadav has been in sublime form. He has already dug out MI from a couple of precarious situations this season, scoring 163 runs in three innings at an average of 81.5 and a strike rate of 158.
However, he will be up against the Super Giants’ trump card in Ravi Bishnoi today. The leg-spinner has been a great threat to Suryakumar, dismissing him on two out of three occasions. Moreover, the right-handed batter strikes at just 88.8 against Bishnoi.
But with Suryakumar being in great touch, there’s no reason why he won’t take on the LSG tweaker. Their contest will be worth keeping an eye on at the Brabourne Stadium.
#2 KL Rahul vs Jasprit Bumrah
Another mouth-watering battle, which could set the tone and perhaps decide the fate of the game, will be between Lucknow skipper KL Rahul and MI pacer Jasprit Bumrah.
While we haven’t seen the best of both players so far this season, the contest between the two will certainly be a spicy affair to witness. In 10 matches against Bumrah, Rahul has amassed 111 runs at an average of 55.5. However, he has been dismissed twice by the right-arm speedster, who will hope to add to the tally when he loads up against the elegant Karnataka-born opener.
#1 Rohit Sharma vs Dushmantha Chameera
It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that Rohit Sharma has been Dushmantha Chameera’s bunny in T20 cricket. The Sri Lankan pacer’s hit-the-deck deliveries have troubled the star batter over the years, including in the recent T20I series between India and the Lankans in February.
Out of nine innings, Chameera has dismissed the Indian skipper on six occasions, giving away just 32 runs in the process.
Will the Lankan seamer get the better of MI’s veteran once again? Only time will tell.
