Blogs Did the MI get it all wrong?
May 9th, 2009 by kapoorWhen the campaign of the Mumbai Indians started in the IPL2009, it looked as if the team was making a sincere effort to change what had happened in the first edition of the IPL. They were beginning to look like a team that could easily make it to the semi-final group but now things are beginning to go downhill for them, yet again. It seems that the team has cracked upon a combination of things not clicking rather than having committed gross, serious mistakes like the Knight Riders.
For starters, their batting depends heavily on the opening combo of Tendulkar and Jayasuriya and for some strange reason both have not really blown away the rivals in the manner they are capable of. Their bowling too isn’t well adept to the T20 style. They did pick-up Dhawal Kulkarni, who was the leading wicket-taker in the domestic season but then his bowling style doesn’t look suited to the T20 format. Bravo has been in many positions wherein a bit of sensible batting from him could have secured a victory for the team but he chose to go the heroic way and self-destruct rather than secure crucial victories. Yet, again Tendulkar finds himself in a team that relies purely upon his talent to deliver the goods.
May 11th, 2009 at 2:37 am
That is a fair assessment of Mumbai’s composition. I think they have got the combination wrong, and I think it is fixable.
For starters, the team that played against the Royal Challengers was quite balanced.
The limit of having only 4 foreign players in the team is hurting them hard, as must be the case with most of the other teams. They have two really good foreign players in Luke Ronchi (Wicketkeeper Batsman) and Kyle Mills (lower order all rounder) but they cannot use them since Jayasuriya, Malinga, Bravo and Duminy seem irreplacable. Among these four, we can only think of replacing Bravo, but he too is a great all rounder who can be effective with both the bat and the ball.
So, this is what I think is the best composition for Mumbai, and if they stick to this, I think they can still make it to the Semi’s.
1. Sachin
2. Jayasuriya (He also provides the bowling option)
3. Rahane (This guy has to graft himself in before he goes for the hits, so he should be at No. 3)
4. Duminy (The most irreplaceable person on the team)
5. Bravo
6. Nayar
7. Takawale (Pinal Shah) (Takawale’s keeping was amazing in the match against Royal Challengers. He effected two difficult stumpings and also collected balls down the leg side effectively)
8. Harbhajan
9. Zaheer/Kulkarni
10. C Nanda/Kulkarni (depending on type of wicket and whether Zaheer is injured or not)
11. Malinga
This is the team that beat Bangalore and it should be persisted with.
May 12th, 2009 at 2:41 am
I feel that Kulkarni isn’t too effective in the T20 format.
chetanya nanda could be a surprise option as leg spinners and spinners in general have done well in the tournament so far. he has got lots of domestic experience and sometimes bowls good leggie-type yorkers too.
May 13th, 2009 at 2:31 am
Why do you think Kulkarni isnt too effective in the T20 format? In the 5 games he has played in the IPL, his economy is only 6.4, which is less than 7 runs per over. And he has mostly bowled his first three overs in the initial power play.
His career statistics also indicate that he is good enough in T20. He has a strike rate of 18 balls for a wicket. Which says that he gets a wicket or more every match.
He may not be as effective as a sohail tanvir or brett lee, but I think he does the job well enough. I would pick him up if Zaheer is injured. I like him more than Rohan Raje.