IPL 2023: Factors That Can Prevent Mumbai Indians From Winning Against RCB

image-lfqgnbdbMumbai Indians team in action [Source: IPLT20.com]

On Sunday, the most successful T20 franchise, Mumbai Indians, added another feather to their decorated hat, clinching the inaugural Women's Premier League title by defeating Delhi Capitals in the final. 

After the Women's team's astounding success, passionate MI fans have set high hopes for their male counterparts, set to take on RCB in their season opener of the IPL 2023. 

But the five-time champions have recently had a torrid time on the field, suffering group-stage exits in the last couple of seasons. So, Rohit Sharma's men would be keen to turn things around by performing admirably this season. 

However, there are some areas of concern for MI ahead of their face-off against RCB, which they should resolve in order to get a winning start. 


1) Top Order's struggle vs moving ball

image-lfqgfw5fSuryakumar Yadav recently recorded three golden ducks [Source: AP]

Every T20 side depends on its openers to ensure a formidable start and set the foundation for the rest of the batting unit to capitalise on it. However, although MI's top Order looks rock-solid on paper, their recent performances are worrisome, to say the least. 

While Rohit Sharma has failed to convert his brisk starts into big scores, Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav have recently suffered a slump. 

Kishan's struggle against the moving ball has been exploited by teams in international cricket and will emerge as a headache for the franchise, as almost every team has a bowler who can make the new ball talk. 

The same thing can be said about Suryakumar Yadav, who recently recorded three golden ducks in the Australia ODIs. Notably, Yadav bats at number three for MI, so if they lose an early wicket, he will have to face the new ball burst. 

And even if Josh Hazlewood misses out, a new ball pair of Reece Topley and Mohammed Siraj have the calibre to dismantle MI's top Order. 


2) Death Bowling in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah

image-lfqgguqbBumrah has been ruled out of IPL 2023 [Source: Twitter]

Since debuting in 2013, Jasprit Bumrah has established himself as MI's go-to man in the death overs. Regarded as one of the finest bowlers in the modern era, Bumrah is a force to reckon with the ball with his accurate yorkers and hard-length deliveries. 

However, unfortunately, the ace seamer has been ruled out of the tournament due to a prolonged back injury. So, in his absence, the death bowling responsibility is going to be shouldered by Jofra Archer. 

Although we don't doubt Archer's ability, he will lack support at the other end, as MI don't have another quality option to bowl to the likes of Dinesh Karthik and Glenn Maxwell in the slog overs.


3) The curious case of Cameron Green

image-lfqgj7yvCameron Green in action [Source: Twitter]

After releasing Hardik Pandya to the auction pool, MI were searching for an all-rounder of his calibre to fill his void. They broke the bank on Cameron Green, buying him for a whopping INR 17.5 Crores in the 2023 mini-auction. 

Although Green is a promising talent, he has found success at the top of the order, where MI don't have a vacant spot. So, it will be interesting to see where they fit him in a lineup having Rohit, Ishan, Suryakumar, Tilak Verma and Tim David. 

Furthermore, Green is raw and doesn't have ample playing experience in Indian conditions. Also, he is coming off an injury and considering the importance of his role in the side, MI will be in deep waters if, for some reason, he fails to deliver.