Predicting three bowlers who might pick up the most wickets between MI and LSG (Picture Credits: IPL).
Match 26 of IPL 2022 pits the Mumbai Indians (MI) up against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday (April 16). This afternoon start is a must-win game for Mumbai, who are yet to open their account in five attempts.
LSG on the other hand, come into the contest with three wins out of five games. Their latest game saw them lose a thrilling contest to the Rajasthan Royals (RR) by a slender three-run margin.
The Brabourne Stadium has produced runs aplenty thus far, with the surface being an absolute batter’s paradise. In that sense, the result could boil down to the team whose bowlers enjoy a better day.
On that note, we try to predict three bowlers who might pick up the most wickets between MI and LSG.
#1 Ravi Bishnoi – LSG’s X-factor
Ravi Bishnoi has lived up to every ounce of hype generated around him ahead of IPL 2022. This is, of course, his third season, but considering that he was a pre-auction signing for LSG and had also made his international debut, a lot was expected of the leggie.
Bishnoi has proven his mettle over the course of Lucknow’s campaign thus far, stifling down opposition batting units for fun. His googly continues to remain deceptive and difficult to play out, while his lengths have been immaculate.
As far as MI are concerned, Rohit Sharma is known to be slow to start off against spin. That, along with Bishnoi’s googly remaining a lethal weapon against left-handers, should put him in the mix in the powerplay against Rohit and Ishan Kishan.
With Mumbai’s batting unit under pressure to deliver a much-needed win, they could find life difficult against the craft of Bishnoi. Expect the leggie from Rajasthan to be amongst the wickets on Saturday.
#2 Jasprit Bumrah – MI’s man for all seasons
Life isn’t easy at the moment if you’re Jasprit Bumrah. Aside from leading Mumbai’s bowling attack, the onus has almost always fallen on Bumrah every time the five-time champions have needed to break open the game.
Against a batting lineup featuring KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock, Marcus Stoinis and the in-form Deepak Hooda, Bumrah has his task cut out again come Saturday afternoon. LSG, though, have the likes of de Kock and Krunal Pandya who have been part of the Mumbai setup before, so that could be a point of advantage against Bumrah.
Yet, with the rest of his colleagues not really stepping up and wickets up front pivotal against the Super Giants, it shouldn’t come as a surprise should Bumrah take the new ball. Expect him to come out firing at his very best and find himself among the wickets in a crunch game for Mumbai.
#3 Avesh Khan – has a great record against Mumbai Indians
Avesh Khan enjoyed a fruitful run in IPL 2021 and took a liking to the Mumbai Indians in particular. With five scalps from two games and an economy rate of a mere 5.00, the lanky seamer will look to replicate more of the same on Saturday.
That said, it has been a season where Avesh has blown hot and cold thus far. Aside from a match-winning four-wicket haul against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), he has been guilty of bleeding too many runs while also not finding himself as frequently among the wickets.
That’s where the catch is, though. A favorable opponent, a surface with good pace and bounce, and the law of averages all point towards an upswing for the Madhya Pradesh seamer.
Don’t be surprised, then, if Avesh Khan picks up a couple of wickets or more when LSG take the field against MI at the Brabourne Stadium.
