Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals Match Review

Mumbai Indians look like they have gotten into a habit of defeating the table toppers. First Kolkata (okay, there were only 3rd, but they were among the early pace-setters), then Delhi and now Rajasthan! This game again showed that the team is better than what many give them credit for. Not quite as dramatic as the Ewing theory, but the performances have picked up ever since Bhajji was banned. It could be entirely coincidental, but it is more likely that the leadership of Pollock has allowed the other players (especially the younger ones) to get a better understanding of their role in the team.

The team does look a really good bowling and fielding unit, even if the batting doesn't look entirely convincing. Today's display was their best bowling performance so far. Pollock was good as usual, but rather unusually, Nehra stepped up with a man-of-the-match display. Hopefully he is back after his injury lay-off and this does not turn out to be a one-off performance.

I've mentioned how Dhaval Kulkarni has been impressive in previous games, and he simply seems to get better with each outing. He got hammered for 17 in his first over today, but came back superbly in his second spell with 2 for 4 off 2 overs!

The other local bowler who impressed today was Rohan Raje, who was also impressive on his debut against Delhi. Both Kulkarni and Raje look like they possess the ability to consistently pitch the ball in the blockhole, which is a great asset in T20. Of the two, Kulkarni looks like he might also do well in the longer version of the game. It is great to see local players perform in the IPL, and these two might just go on to form part of the nucleus of the team in the years to come.

A mention must also go to Yogesh Takawale, about whom I didn't know much before the IPL started. Atleast Pinal Shah was someone who followers of the domestic game might have been aware of. Takawale pulled off a couple of great diving catches to further reinforce the role fielding is playing in transforming this team from also rans into one that can seriously challenge for a spot in the semi-finals.

So far, it has been the bowling/fielding that has won Mumbai all their games. Pollock attributed the change in the team's fortunes to the fact that it took the team a while to get used to each other's roles and the team is now gelling very well as a unit, even if it boasts of no stand-out performers.

It does remain to be seem how the return of Tendulkar will affect the team. In theory, the team should perform better as the batting will get stronger. Hopefully, it does not affect the team in terms of players suddenly being unsure of their role. Tendulkar is nothing if not a team man, and so the chances of that happening are pretty low. Another aspect is the captaincy of Pollock, which has clearly been of a much higher standard than Bhajji's. While Tendulkar does have an extremely shrewd cricketing brain, his two stints as captain of the Indian team have been failures, though part of the reason there was something beyond his control. Also, Tendulkar has limited experience with T20, so it remains to be seen how he and the team handle this.

The team now have a gap of one week, which almost looks like a vacation in the hectic IPL schedule. Mumbai were originally scheduled to visit the Royal Challengers in this period, but because of elections in Karnataka, that fixture now becomes Mumbai's last in their IPL campaign. Next up is Chennai, again at home. Given Mumbai's form, and Chennai's lack of form following the losses of Hayden, Hussey and Oram, that game should be winnable.