da cassino online： With just two wins so far, and seven matches remaining, Rising Pune Supergiants will look to arrest their slide when they take on Mumbai Indians, and try to ensure they remain in contention for a playoff spot
da wazamba： The Preview by Nagraj Gollapudi30-Apr-2016Match factsSunday, May 1, 2016
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)Big PictureRising Pune Supergiants announced themselves on the opening day of IPL 2016 with a nine-wicket win over defending champions Mumbai Indians, achieved with 32 balls to spare. In terms of balls left, the margin of victory is the third-best in the tournament so far and second in terms of wickets left. Since then, however, MS Dhoni’s Supergiants have had only one victory in six matches.After failing to defend 195 against Gujarat Lions, Dhoni made it clear that if Supergiants had to stay alive in the campaign his bowlers needed to create more impact, especially in the Powerplay. However, in the Powerplay, his bowlers have taken 10 wickets in seven matches, second only to Kolkata Knight Riders, who have 14 in as many matches. Even in the middle overs (7 to 15), Supergiants have maintained an economy rate of 6.71, the best among the eight teams.Why Supergiants have NRR edge despite poor run
In seven matches this season, Rising Pune Supergiants have won two matches and lost five; in the same number of matches, Gujarat Lions have won six and lost one. Supergiants’ net run rate after seven matches is +0.265, while Lions’ is +0.038.
At first glance it would seem the NRR numbers have been interchanged, but Supergiants have won their two matches so convincingly, and lost a few so narrowly, that their NRR is second to Kolkata Knight Riders’. Their two wins were by margins of 32 balls to spare and 34 runs, which is huge in the 20-over format. The 34-run win was even bigger as it came in a rain-affected game in which Supergiants batted only 11 overs – effectively scoring three runs per over more than their opponents, Sunrisers Hyderabad. On the other hand, the sum of balls remaining in their four defeats when defending a total is only 23, while their only defeat in a chase was by a 13-run margin.
Lions, meanwhile, have won every close game they have been involved in: two of their chases culminated in last-ball wins, while they beat Daredevils by one run. The aggregate of balls remaining in their three other wins is 29, while their only defeat was a massive one – by ten wickets, with 31 balls remaining, against Sunrisers. The margin of that defeat has very nearly wiped out the margins of their six wins put together, which is why their NRR is almost zero.
Their problem appears to be lack of confidence. Dhoni’s usual go-to man R Ashwin has failed to take wickets. After taking 2 for 36 in the opening game, Ishant Sharma leaked runs and took one wicket in the subsequent three matches before he was benched. Losing batsmen Kevin Pietersen and Faf du Plessis to injuries hasn’t helped their cause and they suffered another setback when Australia allrounder Mitchell Marsh was ruled out for the remainder of the tournament due to a side strain.* Marsh was one of the more economical bowlers for the side, taking four wickets in three matches at an average of 11.25 and an economy rate of 5.Dhoni and the coach Stephen Fleming have been critical of their players in public, an uncharacteristic situation for them. Their impatience, however, could also stem from the fact that the team have only seven matches remaining and the pressure to win could prove an unnecessary distraction.Mumbai, have played the most matches so far in the tournament (8) and are placed fifth on the points table. After a few hiccoughs, they seem to have found balance in their line-up. In the first few games, their batting relied heavily on the success of their captain Rohit Sharma but Parthiv Patel, Ambati Rayudu, Jos Buttler and Kieron Pollard have also stepped up subsequently.Simply put, this is a contest between a team low on confidence against a team gaining confidence with every game.Form guideRising Pune Supergiants LWLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Mumbai Indians WWLWLIn the SpotlightR Ashwin is undoubtedly a match-winner but has not yet made an impact in IPL 2016. There has been much debate on whether he has been under-bowled. With an average of 77 and two wickets in seven matches, Ashwin must be hurting and desperate to turn the corner.Team NewsMarsh’s injury may mean the team could stick with Albie Morkel. The franchise has not yet confirmed whether Australia batsman Usman Khawaja, who was signed earlier this week, has joined the squad.Rising Pune Supergiants (probable) 1 Ajinkya Rahane, 2 Saurabh Tiwary, 3 Steven Smith, 4 MS Dhoni (wk/capt), 5 Thisara Perera, 6 Peter Handscomb, 7 Rajat Bhatia, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Albie Morkel, 10 Ashok Dinda, 11 M AshwinMumbai might opt for the same eleven that beat Kolkata Knight Riders in their previous match.Mumbai Indians (probable) 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Parthiv Patel (wk), 3 Ambati Rayudu, 4 Jos Buttler, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Krunal Pandya, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Mitchell McCleneghan, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Jasprit BumrahPitch and conditionsThe Pune pitch was in the news earlier in the year when India were bundled out for 101 in a T20I against Sri Lanka on a green track. The match was played in winter and the ball was swinging, aided by stiff breeze. In this IPL, teams have set targets of 186, 161 and 196 at the ground. A big score can be expected once again, although the pitch could be on the slower side owing to the scorching summer temperatures.Stats and TriviaM Ashwin was picked by Supergiants at the auction for INR 4.5 crore (approx $671,000). So far the legspinner has not disappointed his captain Dhoni, who has thrown the ball to him in the end overs. With an economy of just 6.16 in the slog overs, M Ashwin ranks as one of the best among bowlers who have delivered a minimum of four overs. Rohit Sharma has scored 279 runs while chasing in four matches so far this season, but has made only 19 runs in the four instances when Mumbai have batted first.Quotes”It won’t work if we concede 60 runs or so in the first six overs. We definitely need to improve our bowling, especially with the new ball. Our bowlers need to step up. Simple.”*1051 AM GMT, May 1. The preview was updated to include news of Mitchell Marsh’s injury
