We will be facing the Gujarat Lions in a crucial encounter on 21st May, 2016, at Green Park, Kanpur. There will be a heavy showdown between the two teams as we are on the cusp of the playoffs. This match will determine the fates of many teams apart from MI and GL.

Rohit Sharma vs Suresh Raina – Battle of the two captains

It’s a battle of the wits between the two captains who have had similar career paths. They have come up the ranks of the Indian cricket team by proving their mettle and putting in good performances.

Rohit Sharma has been at the helm of Mumbai Indians since 2013. He did a brilliant job to lead us to our first IPL trophy win. He has grown in this role over the years by adding another IPL cup to the trophy cabinet. This season the Hitman has led the team from the forefront by becoming the leading run scorer for MI. He has managed to steer the team after a series of losses with a hat-trick of wins to put the team back in action and in a great position to reach the playoff spot.

This was the first IPL captaincy stint for Suresh Raina. He got the opportunity to lead the newly formed Gujarat Lions who were inducted this season of the IPL. It usually takes time for a team to come together and function as a unit to give a good performance on the field but this was not the case with GL as they hit the ground running. The southpaw did a spectacular job to lead his team to 6 wins from their first 7 games to put them ahead of the pack. He has also performed exceptionally with the bat in crucial matches to guide his team home. Lately, GL suffered some setbacks, as they have slumped to four defeats. They came back strongly against KKR to beat them by 6 wickets.
Lions would look to repeat their performance from their previous match at Green Park while MI would look to do what they do best – perform under pressure. A win against GL, especially with a big margin, would all but guarantee MI their 7th consecutive playoff qualification.. At this stage besides the win, it’s all about the numbers, the difference by which you have been able to extract a win. MI currently stands at the 5th position in the IPL standings with a Net Run Rate of -0.082. So expect a similar approach by MI as in their game against DD, all strike less talk.