After three consecutive wins, Mumbai Indians are looking dangerous and in-form. We are yet to play a complete game, but still we have managed to cross the line, which is what matters the most. We’ll be taking on Gujarat Lions in our fifth game of the season and it’s going to be a special one as we won’t see the usual supporters waving our flag during the game at the Wankhede. Instead, kids who will be present to cheer on our boys. Every year, nearly 18,000 children from affiliated NGOs watch an IPL match live at the Wankhede stadium. Mumbai Indians have positively impacted the lives of 100,000 underprivileged children over the course of its Education For All (EFA) initiative. Our team is actively engaged in this EFA initiative and this game is going to be special, particularly because there will be kids in big numbers to get behind our team and root for them throughout.

Gujarat Lions are coming to the Wankhede on the back of their first win of the season. Their last game witnessed debutant Andrew Tye managed a hat-trick and a 5-fer, thus becoming the first player in IPL to manage both feats on debut. Despite this, we know how to deal the players who take hat-tricks! Samuel Badree wreaked havoc and took a hat-trick, but we still held our nerves and chased down the tricky target on the back of Kieron Pollard’s scintillating knock. The all-rounder played a smart innings and calculated the chase perfectly to get us over the line. As Pollard said during his post-match interview in the last game, “These are the situations where champions are made of!” We believe in this completely: He is indeed a champion player who has given us some special wins!

Our record against Gujarat Lions isn’t pleasing, as the visitors managed to win on both occasions in last season. They will be riding high on confidence, but given the match is at the Wankhede, our fortress, added to our encouraging displays in pressure situations, we will be more than up for the game. The kids won’t miss a chance to get behind our boys to support. Gujarat’s changes did wonders for them in the last game and in all likelihood they will look to go with an unchanged line-up.

Rohit Sharma’s form has been a bother so far, but our skipper is one of the leading run-scorers in this league. It’s just around a matter of time when he clicks and starts to score the sort of runs we’ve become accustomed to. Our youngsters have been phenomenal though, with the likes of Nitish Rana and the Pandya brothers having performed consistently with flair and aplomb. Krunal Pandya and Hardik Pandya been the toast of the IPL with their all-round talent: One hopes that these brothers continue their stunning form. Let’s not forget our wily veteran, Harbhajan Singh. Ever since coming back into the playing XI, his experience and his bowling in the Powerplay has worked in our favour.

Both teams wouldn’t want to tinker too much with winning combinations. It should be another exciting and entertaining match at the Wankhede Stadium and the kids being there, will no doubt make it even more special. Our boys will look to give their best and continue their good form. The stage is all set to create history and bag our first victory against them.

Stage:

Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

We will be back to our fortress yet again to keep our record intact. As it’s going to be a special game, it will be a spectacle to see many kids to support us.

Acts:

Power vs Pace:

In Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum, Gujarat possess two of the most destructive batsmen in the IPL. They will come up against the pace arsenal that Mumbai possess. This is one mouth-watering match-up!

Kieron Pollard vs Andrew Tye:

Our Polly and their gun bowler, how exciting is that? Fresh from match-turning performances, both Kieron Pollard and Andrew Tye will look to lock horns towards the latter stages of the innings.

Krunal Pandya vs Ravindra Jadeja:

Both are left-arm orthodox bowlers. Both come lower down the order. Both can smash sixes, virtually at will and both are proven match-winners. Krunal Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja will be two critical components of their respective sides.