Gautam Gambhir believes that Mumbai Indians batting prowess has made them tough to beat. The defending champions have qualified for the final for the sixth time in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 history. And this time, they have the opportunity to break their odd and even jinx.
Mumbai Indians have a solid opening combination with Quinton de Kock, and Rohit Sharma followed with top-class Suryakumar Yadav, batting at number three. Yadav has been the most impactful player for MI this season, scoring mammoth runs at the top while also finishing off the job on some occasions.
Gautam Gambhir also observes that Suryakumar Yadav has no only handles the innings but even scores at a good strike rate. He believes if the top-order batsman is until the end of the innings, it could hurt any position.
“You keep talking about someone anchoring the innings and scoring at a good strike rate. Suryakumar Yadav anchors the innings and scores at 130, 135-plus strike rate, which is a great plus for Mumbai Indians. He’s someone who can play through the innings and hurt the opposition,” Gambhir told ESPNCricinfo.
Former Kolkata Knight Riders captain said that apart from solid top-order, they have massive contributors for death overs who with their power-hitting can damage any team’s plan.
“Then you know that you have the firepower of Kieron Pollard, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, all these guys can hurt you in the end overs – and you’re No. 3 who is supposed to bat long. What more do you want from your batting line up. I guess that’s why Mumbai is where it is right now.”
Gautam Gambhir explains how Mumbai Indians can be beaten:
Gautam Gambhir the only way to dominate against Mumbai Indians is to stop them at 150-160 total and have a proper bowling unit to defend it. As per him, if the four-time IPL winners cross 180 runs mark, problems can arise for the opposition.
“Unless and until you don’t restrict Mumbai Indians to 150-160, you have the bowling to defend that. The moment they get to 180, it’s very difficult for any opposition to compete, let alone win. Apart from Ben Stokes’ brilliance, I don’t think any team can chase down 190-plus,” Gautam Gambhir said.
The opponent for Mumbai Indians in the grand-finale will be decided after the second qualifier match between SunRisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals.