Experts have their say on MI’s potential plans for the playoffs after confirmation that they will play the Eliminator.
Experts have their say as Moody bullish on Bairstow, Asalanka. Jaffer wants more from Tilak.
The impression following the Mumbai Indians’ (MI) batting display against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) was that their batting did not gel sufficiently to reach its full potential. Tilak Varma scored one run in four balls after openers Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton combined for 51 runs in 41 balls, a strike rate of less than 125.
Despite a few cameos and a 39-ball 57 from Suryakumar Yadav, who solidified his position at No. 3 on the Orange Cap table, PBKS easily defeated the mark of 187.
Now that the playoffs are among us, MI will lose Rickelton and Jacks, two of its most important overseas players this season, to national duty when they play either the Gujarat Titans (GT) or Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Eliminator. However, Tom Moody says that’s not totally a terrible thing. He believes that the temporary replacements Charith Asalanka and Jonny Bairstow will infuse their batting with new vitality.
“I don’t mind the fact that they’ve got some fresh players coming in, because it’s probably what they need,” Moody said on ESPNcricinfo’s Time Out show. “In a funny sort of way, it’s a way of putting to bed what’s happened against PBKS and just moving on quickly. And they’ve got two very good replacements.
“It’s not like MI are at odds to whether to play them or not play them. Bairstow’s there. He’s an IPL proven player. He’s come in with this opportunity in some very good form for Yorkshire. Asalanka has been a good player for Sri Lanka for some time now. He’s going to be very handy in that middle order, a good player of spin, can also offer an over of spin or two.
“So I don’t think for Mumbai it changes their dynamic much at all. I think, if anything, they look just as good.”
Jaffer’s difference of opinion
However, Wasim Jaffer believes that Bairstow, who enters the IPL after playing red-ball cricket with Yorkshire in seamer-friendly conditions, may have some adjustment issues and that MI’s Indian team will be responsible for scoring runs in the powerplay.
“I think the Indian players need to step up,” Jaffer said. “You know, you can’t expect too much even from Bairstow – he’s not had a very outstanding IPL in the last few seasons, and he’s coming from a red-ball cricket in seam and swinging conditions in Yorkshire in April and May. So, you know, he hasn’t played much white-ball cricket recently. So it could go either way. It’s a twin-edged sword. But I think like Rohit, Surya again, Tilak and Naman [Dhir], those are the guys they need to step up in the coming games.”
“But what I liked when he was called out after being retired, the couple of innings that he played after that, you know, showed his mentality because it could have gone the other way around. But he stuck around, played two match-winning knocks. And that says a lot about Tilak Varma.
“I just feel he needs to be a little bit more aggressive against spin. He can do that. We’ve seen in South Africa when he’s got back-to-back hundreds. But he just kind of holds himself [back]. He hasn’t played as freely as he does at No. 3. But once the playoff comes and he gets his No. 3 [spot], coming in to bat in the powerplay, you might see a different Tilak Varma.”