Former New Zealand fast bowler Mitchell McClenaghan reckons Mumbai Indians won’t play Keshav Maharaj straight away against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Wednesday.
The South African spinner was named as replacement for Mitchell Santner after the latter was ruled out of the entire season due to a shoulder injury. McClenaghan reckons the five-time champions might think of playing off-spinner Will Jacks.
Jacks had done a fine job for England in the T20 World Cup, scoring 226 runs in eight matches and also delivered with the ball.
Mitchell McClenaghan said on Star Sports, “Mumbai has got some problems of their own. Mitchell Santner has been ruled out with that shoulder injury he picked up in the last game, and they’ve brought Maharaj into the side. And look, it seems like they’ve tried to go like for like, but I’d imagine they won’t play him in this game.”
“I imagine someone like Will Jacks comes into the combination just because they have that off-spin option, and we saw in the World Cup that worked well against Abhishek Sharma, although it hasn’t worked well for teams since then during the IPL, so he’s been able to navigate that nicely. So look, I think that would be a change, and that also gives them a few options with their batting attack.”
On the other hand, former Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara reckons Mumbai Indians haven’t been playing good cricket as they have managed only two wins in seven games.
“They will have to sort their batting and bowling lineup both. I think they haven’t been playing good cricket. It’s not just about pinpointing your batting lineup or your bowling lineup. It’s about coming together as a group. I feel that they need to keep that environment in a positive manner where everyone is putting the team first and just trying things out for the team rather than, you know, because there are times where you’re not performing well as a unit and you start questioning whether bowlers are doing enough, whether the batters are doing enough, but it’s about collective effort and that’s what MI need at this stage.”
MI will host SRH on Wednesday.
