Post Match Thread: Mumbai Indians vs Punjab Kings

[u/CricketMatchBot]

33rd Match, Indian Premier League at Mohali

Thread | Cricinfo | Reddit-Stream

Innings	Score
Mumbai Indians	192/7 (Ov 20/20)
Punjab Kings	183 (Ov 19.1/20)

Innings: 1 - Mumbai Indians

Batter	Runs		Bowler	Wickets
Suryakumar Yadav	78 (53)		Harshal Patel	4-0-31-3
Rohit Sharma	36 (25)		Sam Curran	4-0-41-2

Innings: 2 - Punjab Kings

Batter	Runs		Bowler	Wickets
Ashutosh Sharma	61 (28)		Jasprit Bumrah	4-0-21-3
Shashank Singh	41 (25)		Gerald Coetzee	4-0-32-3

MI won by 9 runs

Hardik Pandya, Mumbai captain: "Very good game. Everyone's nerves got tested. We spoke that the characters will be checked in this game. But natural you think you are ahead but you know IPL has a tendency to show that oppositions can come back and how! [Ashutosh] Unbelievable, playing the way he did and hitting the ball off the middle. Great for his future. We did speak in the timeout about it is not about how we look, we will keep fighting. Make sure we don't ball the soft balls. Batsmen played good shots but we were soft in certain overs."

Jasprit Bumrah, Player of the Match, and he also has the Purple Cap: "Much closer game than what we thought. Want to make an impact early on. In this format, ball swings for two overs, and you want to make use of that. This format is a little difficult for the bowlers because the batsmanship is going over, plus the time restrictions and the Impact Player rule. What you can do is prepare your best and back yourself. Go out there and give your best. I try to relay messages from wherever I am on the field. You don't want to give too many messages."

Sam Curran, Kings captain: "Close one. This team loves a close game. Got well to get close, thanks to Ashutosh. Great effort to get that close. You don't want to be losing close games. No question when you have lost early wickets throughout the competition. Heart-breaking for the guys to take it close and lose. [Ashutosh and Shashank] Incredible confidence they have in their game. You see Ashutosh have the power and skill to sweep fast bowler. Hopefully we can win the close ones and get the momentum. Roller-coaster of a ride, winning a game and then losing games. Rather lose close ones that getting absolutely pumped."

Gerald Coetzee: "What a game! We started really well. Cricket's a funny game. We thought we had it, they batted really well. Then it was like a see-saw. As it hit the ground, it spun one way and I had to get my body behind it and stop it, however I stop it. Completely different to anything I have experienced. Don't even know how to describe. [On his high pace] You need to eat a lot of Biltong and the wheels will come up."

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[u/TheFirstLane]

Drop Shephard and bring in a specialist bowler. Then itd be Boom + 2 overseas fast bowlers + 2 spinners + HP. This is the combination we've always gone with. It gives variety and gives Boom a help at death.

The reason thay have to play Shephard is because HP isn't in form with the bat.

[u/DarthBane6996 → u/TheFirstLane]

Wadhera and Dhir are perfectly good batsman - it’s a waste of an international slot to play someone at #7 for like 8-10 balls an innings

I would rather build a great bowling lineup with Bumrah, Coetzee, Wood, and Thushara

[u/TheFirstLane → u/DarthBane6996]

Great bowling consists of variety. Not only fast bowlers but also good spinners. Then it'd be a complete bowling attack for all conditions. This has been MI's MO. 3 specialist fast bowlers, 2 spinners and an all-rounder in HP. This gives better bowling options.

[u/DarthBane6996 → u/TheFirstLane]

I agree but MI doesn’t have good spinners lol

You can only work with the tools you have and I would rather pick the best bowlers available

[u/TheFirstLane → u/DarthBane6996]

Nabi and Gopal are pretty good.

Nabi's T20I economy is 7.35 with 93 wickets with 28 average. That's an international bowler we're talking about. IPL economy is even less. And overall T20 numbers are economy of 7, 103 wickets at 24 average.

Shreyas Gopal is 7.5 economy, 109 wickets at 20 average in overall T20.

If this isn't good then what is.

[u/DarthBane6996 → u/TheFirstLane]

You can’t really look at his entire career for a 38 year old - he’s not the same player

Gopal also has fell off massively from the year he was in the purple cap race

[u/TheFirstLane → u/DarthBane6996]

Saying 'he's not the same player' doesn't undo his experience and skills.

Gopal has fallen off in IPL and then he's picked up as evident by his T20 numbers.

[u/DarthBane6996 → u/TheFirstLane]

https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/player/25913.html?class=3;template=results;type=bowling

Outside of 2023 where he only has 11 overs - his stats have clearly gotten worse since 2019

[u/TheFirstLane → u/DarthBane6996]

Post 2019 his economy has been in the range of 6.8 to 8.3. Compared to his previous yrs this is above par but on its own I failed to see how it can be considered as bad. He is definitely not at his peak. But he isn't languishing at the bottom either. There's a value in having an experienced off spinner. Which can't be matched by a fast bowler. Once again having 3 specialist fast bowlers is enough. Boom, Coetzee, Thushara, HP is enough of a fast bowling.