Mumbai Indians led by the ‘hitman Sharma’ of team India, is one of the most successful teams of the Indian Premier League. They head into the upcoming edition of the leagues as one of the favorites, courtesy an incredibly powerful unit, consisting of players like Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Chris Lynn, etc.
With a powerful unit like that, Mumbai Indians would be giving their best to defend the title and win the tournament for the fifth time. However, former Pakistani skipper Ramiz Raja feels that conditions in the new venue of the Indian Premier League, United Arab Emirates (UAE) will make it difficult for players including Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Chris Lynn, and other ‘big hitters’ in the team. Talking about the same, he said:
“I think the teams who have a good spin department will do well, that is the first thing,” Raja said on the YouTube show Cric Cast. “The big-hitters will struggle. Like Lynn, Pollard or Pandya brothers, Hardik Pandya probably although he plays spin well. But I feel that the team selection in this IPL will be slightly different. Fast bowling will be difficult, you will see a lot of variations.”
Despite the fact that Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, and many others have been like the backbone of the team, Ramiz Raja isn’t confident about their performances. He said:
“And behind closed doors, what will be the impact, because you will have to almost remain like a prisoner in a bio-secure environment and put up your best performance. So it becomes a difficult task. Because IPL without the buzz of the crowd is incomplete,”
He added:
“So big teams will be playing away from their homes where they had a lot of advantage, for e.g. Kolkata Knight Riders had an advantage of playing at the Eden Gardens where the crowd support helps them in crunch moments. Similarly, RCB plays in Bangalore, who get an advantage there. So, it will be interesting to see how they adjust themselves in neutral territory.”
Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see whether Rohit Sharma led side would be able to win the tournament or not.
