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Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Bangar said that heading into the high-octane Indian Premier League (IPL) clash against five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK), confidence would not be an issue for the five-time winners Mumbai Indians (MI), and they should look to utilise Rohit Sharma, sitting out due to a hamstring issue, in whatever capacity possible.
The most iconic rivalry in Indian Premier League history returns tonight at Wankhede Stadium. MI will be confident after an excellent bowling performance against the Gujarat Titans (GT), while CSK will be aiming to go back to their winning ways after a narrow 10-run loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), which came after two back-to-back wins that infused some life in the Men in Yellow's campaign. Speaking on Star Sports during 'Cricket Live,' JioStar expert Bangar said that with batters Quinton de Kock and Tilak Varma producing centuries in the last two matches under pressure, Jasprit Bumrah breaking his wicketless streak, and all-rounder Will Jacks available, MI will not face any confidence issues. "Confidence is not an issue for MI. The runs are coming from key players, with impactful hundreds by Quinton de Kock in an earlier game and Tilak Varma in the last one. Jasprit Bumrah taking the new ball was a positive, and the spinners have chipped in as well. Ghazanfar looks like a solid option alongside Santner. With Will Jacks available, MI are gradually settling into their best combination," he said. Bangar also said that Rohit, who has missed the past two clashes due to a hamstring injury, should be playing as a pure batter or an impact player and could have a solid opening pair with Quinton de Kock. "Even if it is purely as a batter or impact player, MI should look to use him. Strong starts are crucial, and the most successful teams this season have had both batting and bowling firing together. If Rohit and Quinton de Kock can build a solid opening stand, it eases the pressure on Suryakumar Yadav and the middle order. At this stage, MI should consider taking a calculated risk on his fitness and use him as an impact substitute," he added. In four matches this season, Rohit has scored 137 runs at an average of 45.66 and a strike rate of over 165, with a fifty to his name. He walked off the field due to a hamstring issue against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on a score of 19*. Squads: Mumbai Indians Squad: Quinton de Kock(w), Danish Malewar, Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Sherfane Rutherford, Mitchell Santner, Krish Bhagat, Jasprit Bumrah, AM Ghazanfar, Ashwani Kumar, Raj Bawa, Corbin Bosch, Mayank Rawat, Raghu Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Shardul Thakur, Will Jacks, Mayank Markande, Ryan Rickelton, Robin Minz, Mohammed Salahuddin Izhar Chennai Super Kings Squad: Sanju Samson(w), Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Matthew Short, Sarfaraz Khan, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Jamie Overton, Anshul Kamboj, Noor Ahmad, Mukesh Choudhary, Gurjapneet Singh, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Matt Henry, MS Dhoni, Akeal Hosein, Shreyas Gopal, Rahul Chahar, Spencer Johnson, Urvil Patel, Aman Khan, Zakary Foulkes. (ANI)
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