IPL 2024, GT vs MI: Decoding the key player battles
Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans will meet in their respective openers of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL). While MI are five-time winners, GT tasted glory in 2022 before finishing as runners-up last year. Both teams will be under new captains as Hardik Pandya will lead MI while Shubman Gill will hold GT's reins. Here we look at the key player battles on display.
Rohit Sharma vs Spencer Johnson
Though Rohit Sharma is not MI's captain anymore, he still has the onus to get his side off to a fine start. Meanwhile, Australia's left-arm speedster Spencer Johnson, who is likely to make his IPL debut against MI, can trouble him in the powerplay overs. Since 2019, Rohit has fallen to left-arm pacers seven times across 29 IPL meetings, as per ESPNcricinfo (SR: 97.54).
Shubman Gill vs Jasprit Bumrah
Gill enjoyed a dream IPL 2023 and the new GT skipper will aim to replicate his heroics. However, the young opener would be required to tackle Jasprit Bumrah's thunderbolts early on. Bumrah has dismissed Gill once across seven IPL meetings, having conceded just 25 runs off 23 balls. The MI pacer has an economy of 6.65 in the powerplay overs (IPL).
Suryakumar Yadav vs Rashid Khan
One of GT's biggest tasks would be to stop Suryakumar Yadav from firing. The MI batter has been a formidable force in T20 cricket. Moreover, he smashed a fiery century against GT last season. The Titans could unleash leg-spinner Rashid Khan in SKY's presence. Although Rashid is a proven wicket-taker, he is yet to dismiss SKY in the IPL (86 runs off 58 balls).
David Miller vs Piyush Chawla
As per experts, a leg-spinner can be vulnerable bowling to left-handed batters as the ball usually comes in. However, the perception often goes wrong. In the upcoming clash, leg-spinner Piyush Chawla can disrupt David Miller's rhythm. The MI spinner has dismissed the GT dasher twice across nine meetings in the tournament, while the latter has a strike rate of 120 against Chawla.
Pitch report, timing, and streaming details
The fixture will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on March 24 (7:30pm IST). The pitch here assists the batters, but pacers can be lethal with the new ball. Spinners can inflict some damage eventually. 8.56 reads the average first-inning run rate at this venue (IPL). Star Sports will telecast the match and fans can also live-stream it on JioCinema for free.
