IPL 2019 – Match 15: Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings – MI Predicted Playing XI

Like always, the Mumbai Indians (MI) started off the new season on a shaky note. They started off with a loss against the Delhi Capitals. Then, they won a very close encounter against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. While they were expected to keep the winning momentum going, Mumbai lost their game against the Kings XI Punjab.

Now, for their fourth game of the season, the MI team will be back playing at their home. They will host the arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings for Match 15 of IPL 2019 at the Wankhede. At the moment, the home team’s bowling seems to be their weak forte. With the Australian players joining in, they might look to strengthen this department by bringing in a few changes.

Here is the Predicted Playing XI for the Mumbai Indians (MI):

Openers (Rohit Sharma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk))

Now that he has got a good middle-order, Rohit Sharma is playing with a lot of freedom. He is timing the ball well and isn’t backing off from taking his chances. The right-hander, though, is yet to notch up a big total. He got off to good starts but never got going as yet. Rohit must play well against a strong team like the CSK.

Quinton de Kock is coming off a great home season in South Africa. The left-hander is just about acclimatising to the Indian conditions and played well against KXIP. He scored 60 runs off 39 balls in that match and will have an important role to play for the team from hereon.

Middle Order (Suryakumar Yadav, Yuvraj Singh, Kieron Pollard)

Suryakumar Yadav, after the great season last year, hasn’t really kicked off this year. He is batting at three for the team and should try to be the anchor in the line-up. Yadav is trying hard to go after the bowlers and should instead focus on his natural game to bring out the best possible results.

Yuvraj Singh seems to be taking us back in time with his strokeplay. He is bringing all his trademark shots out and seems to be a confident man. Yuvi will share the MI middle-order responsibilities with another experienced campaigner in Kieron Pollard. This is an important game for the Caribbean cricketer as he could be axed from the eleven if he failed to perform.

All Rounders (Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya)

The Pandya brothers will be the two all-rounders in the team. Both of them are utility players and are doing their jobs decently well. Hardik is hitting the ball long and hard. He has been providing MI with some good finishes by scoring quick runs towards the end. However, his bowling seems to be a slight concern and he should up his game with the ball.

Krunal, on the other hand, is picking up important wickets of the opposition batsmen. Yet, he has conceded runs at a fair clip which isn’t completely ideal for the team. He is yet to perform his best with the willow in hand. Since he knows the conditions in Wankhede well, Krunal could play a vital role against CSK.

Bowlers (Mayank Markande, Jason Behrendorff, Mitchell McClenaghan, Jasprit Bumrah)

MI might have missed a trick by bowling just one over of Mayank Markande in the last game. The leggie could have bagged some important wickets in Mohali with the long boundaries. He is expected to be the lone spinner in the side. Veteran pacer Lasith Malinga will be replaced by Jason Behrendorff. Malinga is leaving for Sri Lanka and won’t be available which is quite a big blow for MI.

However, Behrendorff is coming off a good series against Pakistan and bowls quick. He could open the bowling for the team and also bowl an over or two at the death. With Malinga not available, the Mumbai Indians will have to persist with Mitchell McClenaghan even though he hasn’t had the best of times in the last few games. Jasprit Bumrah is irreplaceable in the side and will have to shoulder a lot of responsibility in the absence of the Sri Lankan.

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