3 Reasons Mumbai (MI) Indians can enter winning race after win over Delhi (DC) Capitals in IPL 2023
Bombay Indians recorded his first victory of IPL 2023 when they scratched the Capitals of Delhi in an absolute thriller at Arun Jaitley Stadium. Their performance was not flawless and issues persist with their bowling as well as their mid-level hitter.
However, the team will derive a lot of confidence from this hard-fought victory. The five-time champions are notoriously slow starters in the IPL, and this season the story is much the same. However, they will now want to keep their momentum going and, as their captain said, the senior players in the team need to step up.
We look at three reasons why Mumbai Indians can win after their win over Delhi Capitals:
#3 Piyush Chawla could have an impact
It’s only the beginning, but the spin has had a significant impact this year. Piyush Chawla has done a good job for the Mumbai Indians and as the tournament progresses the experienced broken leg bowler will be very critical to Rohit Sharma’s plans.
Chawla has played every IPL season and understands the conditions at every stadium. He is very experienced and can be a trusted ally for Rohit Sharma.
He started well and his form will be needed when the pressure is amplified in the middle of the overs. Rohit also trusts his leg and this combination will need to be consistent throughout the season.
#2 Emergence of Tilak Verma
Tilak Varma was the Mumbai Indians’ top scorer last year and he continues to impress with his stroke play. He was the star against Royal Challengers Bangalore and brought forward his A-game against Delhi Capitals.
On a pitch that helped the spinners, Varma showed off his shrewd footwork and excellent wrist game. He was quick to jump on anything that came short of the spinners, then waited for the full ball and even danced down the lane to clear the ball away.
He is attracting all eyes for his clean shot, but according to former India coach Ravi Shastri, the maturity he is showing should earn him an Indian cap within the next six months.
Varma will be Mumbai’s glue in the middle order and if Suryakumar Yadav finds his range, Mumbai could be well on his way to dominating the bowling attacks.
#1 Rohit and the opening combination
After a wait of 25 innings, Rohit Sharma finally hit form and slammed a half century. It was royal, pleasant and winning. He took the seams in the first three overs, then dexterity took over when spinners were introduced.
Reverse sweeps, paddle strokes, and touches for singles and doubles were all back. When the pressure started to mount, the big bangs in the middle of the wicket also made an appearance.
Ishan Kishan, his opening partner, is also looking good and if that combination clicks like it did against Delhi, the Mumbai Indians will be beaming throughout the league phase.
