Mumbai Indians recorded their first victory of IPL 2023 when they beat Delhi Capitals in an outright cliffhanger at Arun Jaitley Stadium. His performance was not perfect and problems still persist with his bowling and mid-level batting.
However, the team will be very confident in this close victory. The five-time champions are notoriously slow in the IPL, and this season the story is more or less the same. However, now they will want to continue the momentum and as their captain said, the veteran players on the team need to step up.
We take a look at three reasons why the Mumbai Indians can go on a winning streak after their victory over the Delhi Capitals:
#3 Piyush Chawla could make an impact
It’s early days, but the twist has had a telling impact this year. Piyush Chawla has been doing a good job for the Mumbai Indians and as the tournament progresses, the experienced leg-break bowler will be central to Rohit Sharma’s plans.
Chawla has played every IPL season and understands the conditions in every stadium. He is very experienced and can prove to be a trusted ally for Rohit Sharma.
He has started well and his form will be needed when the pressure mounts in the intermissions. Rohit is also confident in his leg and this combination will need to be consistent throughout the season.
#2 Appearance of Tilak Verma
Tilak Varma was the leading run scorer for the Mumbai Indians last year and continues to impress with his stroke play. He was the star against the Royal Challengers Bangalore and highlighted his A game against the Delhi Capitals.
On a toss that helped the spinners, Varma showed off his clever footwork and great wrist work. He was quick to jump over anything short of the spinning wheels and then waited for the full ball and even danced down the lane to get the ball away.
He is getting all the attention for his clean batting but according to former India manager Ravi Shastri the maturity he showed should earn him a cap for India within the next six months.
Varma will be the glue for Mumbai in the middle order and if Suryakumar Yadav finds his range, Mumbai could well be on their way to dominating the bowling attacks.
#1 Rohit and the opening combination
After a wait of 25 innings, Rohit Sharma finally struck form and wrapped up a half century. He was majestic, personable and a match winner. He faced the seamers in the first three laps and then prowess took over when the spinners were introduced.
Reverse sweeps, paddle dinks and touches for singles and doubles are back. As the pressure began to build, the big bangs in the middle of the wicket also appeared.
His opening partner Ishan Kishan is also looking good and if this combination works out like it did against Delhi, the Mumbai Indians will be beaming in the league phase.