Mumbai Indians

“Our Playoff has already started, to be honest.”

That is what Ambati Rayudu’s candid admission after leading Mumbai Indians’ charge against Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday night. And the Mumbai Indians would hope to continue the two-match winning streak in Mohali on Sunday.

If Mumbai Indians have stuttered initially in the eighth edition of the Indian Premier League, Kings XI Punjab have fared worse, winning just two of their eight games so far. From that perspective, it could well be a boon for Mumbai Indians to face a team whose confidence is at an all-time low. But the fact that Kings XI’s campaign for the season is all but over could result in them returning to their brand of fearless cricket and surprise Mumbai Indians.

No doubt then that Mumbai Indians would not take the Kings lightly at their home. That too in a game that would be played in the traditional home of Kings. But Rohit Sharma would draw a lot of confidence from their last two performances at the Wankhede.

The addition of Mitchell McClenaghan has given the much-needed zip to the Mumbai Indians’ pace bowling attack. McClenaghan has managed to pick wickets regularly, which has helped Mumbai Indians restrict the opposition batsmen from not getting away with the game. McClenaghan’s knack of picking wickets came to Mumbai Indians’ rescue yet again on Friday night as his triple strikes, including two in two balls, put brakes on the Royals’ run chase and gave Mumbai Indians the much-needed victory.

McClenaghan coming good has also taken pressure off Lasith Malinga’s able shoulders. With McClenaghan striking at will, Malinga has been able to become more aggressive and – as a result – effective. If Harbhajan Singh and J Suchith can support them with breakthroughs in the middle overs, it would make the Mumbai Indians’ work a lot easier.

The batting department in itself looks much more settled now, with Lendl Simmons emerging as a reliable opening batsman. Had the Caribbean not been unfortunate to have been adjudged leg-before when the ball had ricocheted off his bat on to the stumps, he could well have gone on to make a big score. The fact that Simmons would be up against the Kings XI bowlers, against whom he had scored a memorable century last year, would make him a confident batsman even before the first ball is bowled.

The only cause of concern for Mumbai Indians is the inability of No 2 Parthiv Patel and No 3 Unmukt Chand to convert a good start into a sizeable score. But the fact that they have been getting starts is a positive sign and has helped the team.

If either Parthiv or Unmukt can come good on Sunday against the Kings XI line-up, an already struggling Kings XI batting would be put in further trouble. Kings XI Punjab top order has seldom fired so far in the tournament. If the MI top three can outdo their Kings counterparts, the battle would be all but sealed for Mumbai Indians, and their charge towards Playoffs would continue further.