MUMBAI: Mumbai Indians are doing what they have done in previous IPL campaigns — stitch together a string of wins, late, and push towards a playoff spot.
Leading the push are some charged up batting performances which has seen them chase three 200-plus targets — the first team to do so in a T20 tournament. The latest one came in their last match against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday.
That MI are overhauling targets with their skipper Rohit Sharma yet to fire, speaks volumes of the threat they possess with the bat.
Be it Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Cameron Green or Tim David, a collective effort has seen them cross the finish line — winning five of their six victories while chasing.
On Friday, the mighty MI batting will be put to test when they square-off against the defending champions and table-toppers Gujarat Titans.
1/10:MI vs GT IPL 2023: Upbeat Mumbai to take on Gujarat's might in vital clash
2/10:MI likely to be tested against GT
<p>An upbeat Mumbai Indians are likely to be tested to the hilt by table-toppers and defending champions Gujarat Titans in a vital Indian Premier League (IPL) match in Mumbai on Friday.<br /></p>PTI
3/10:MI look promising
<p>For the first time in this IPL, five-time winners MI have looked promising as they rose to the third spot in the points table with a six-wicket thumping of Royal Challengers Bangalore on Tuesday.<br /></p>ANI
4/10:MI's batting on a roll
<p>The manner in which MI thrashed RCB -- chasing 200 inside 17 overs -- highlighted once again how successful their batting has been, even though for the second consecutive game they reshuffled the order in a bid to push their net run rate.<br /></p>IANS
5/10:MI on top despite Rohit's lean patch
<p>Despite their best batter and captain Rohit Sharma enduring a lean patch with five single-digit scores on the trot, MI's batting has been nearly unstoppable at the Wankhede Stadium as they successfully chased a target of 200 or above twice in three attempts.<br /></p>ANI
6/10:MI bowlers need to buckle up
<p>However, the issue for MI this year is not restricted to Rohit's form or the absence of Jasprit Bumrah or Jofra Archer, but their bowling which has conceded four consecutive totals above 200, and nearly did so versus RCB again.<br /></p>PTI
7/10:Suryakumar, Nehal shine for MI
<p>Suryakumar Yadav's 35-ball 83 and Nehal Wadhera's second fifty of the season handed MI a commanding win over RCB, but the hosts would know that they cannot afford any slip up against the mighty GT, who are sitting pretty at the top, largely unchallenged.<br /></p>PTI
8/10:Will Tilak Varma be fit for GT clash?
<p>Suryakumar's return to form is the biggest positive for MI, for whom the likes of Ishan Kishan, Cameron Green, Tim David and Tilak Varma have done the bulk of the scoring. It remains to be seen if Varma is fit for the contest on Friday.<br /></p>AFP
9/10:MI batters need to tackle Rashid and Noor
<p>The contest could, however, depend a lot on how MI's free-flowing batters go against eight overs of spin from Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad, who has thrived in the company of the senior Afghan.<br /></p>AP
10/10:GT on the brink of making it to the playoffs
<p>With eight wins in 11 matches, GT are on the brink of making it to the playoffs and be the first team to do so.<br /><br /><br /></p>AFPThe last time the teams locked horns, GT humbled MI by 55 runs. While GT batters, led by Shubman Gill (469 runs), have put in some impressive displays in the tournament,
it’s their bowling that has caught everyone’s eye. Mohammed Shami has been unplayable with the new ball and has 19 scalps so far. The pacer is just two wickets short of recording his best haul in a season.
Supporting him well are Rashid Khan (19 wickets), Mohit Sharma (12) and Noor Ahmad (11).
