Mumbai Indians will look to make it seven wins in a row in IPL 2017 when they host their local rivals the Rising Pune Supergiant at the fortress Wankhede on Monday.
MI have been the best team in IPL 2017 so far, winning six of their seven matches. Interestingly, the only team to beat them this season are RPS, when Steve Smith's side trumped Rohit Sharma's men in the first Maharashtra derby of the season.
Confirmed lineups of MI vs RPS
In that game, RPS did well to chase down a solid total, and you feel if the Rising Pune Supergiant are to make it two wins in two over MI, they might need to go with the same plan again.
Yes, the last three games in IPL 2017 have been won by teams batting first, but at the Wankhede it is always better to chase.
The Delhi Daredevils thought along the same lines and even put in a brilliant bowling performance to restrict the Mumbai Indians to a below par score on Saturday. However, the Delhi Daredevils' inexperienced batting lineup let them down as MI picked up their first win while defending a total in IPL 2017.
That victory would have given MI confidence, because, before that, all their wins had come from chasing. With the win over the Delhi Daredevils, they will now be confident of protecting a total as well.
As good as the Mumbai Indians bowling lineup is, their strength remains their batting.
The batsmen might have had an off day on Saturday, but those are ominous signs for RPS, because it means they are more likely hit the jackpot on Monday.
RPS' bowling does not fill anyone with any kind of confidence, but they will need to stick to their plans and execute them to perfection if they are to stop the MI batsmen from marauding to another big score. Imran Tahir will, naturally, be RPS' most important bowler. However, the Indians in the team need to step up as well.
The facet that is likely to win the match for the Rising Pune Supergiant, though, is their batting.
Ajinkya Rahane, Steve Smith, Ben Stokes, MS Dhoni and Manoj Tiwary is a pretty dangerous lineup, with Rahul Tripathi proving his worth at the top as well.
Dhoni's return to form, and what a return it was, will be a big boost for RPS, who need their former captain to give the rest of the batsmen the confidence to go for the big shots and take risks, knowing fully well that there is someone to come/at the other end who will take them to the required target.
Rohit Sharma on the win over the Delhi Daredevils
Captain's Corner returns and @ImRo45 shares the importance of planning and research before every game.#CricketMeriJaan pic.twitter.com/iaV6yTabG0
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) April 23, 2017
Where to watch live
MI vs RPS is set to begin at 8pm IST (3.30pm BST). TV and live streaming information.
India: TV: Sony Six/HD, ESPN/HD, Sony Max. Live Streaming: Hotstar.
International: Live Streaming: Cricketgateway.
UK: Live Streaming: Sky Sports Go.
USA: TV: Willow TV. Live Streaming: Willow TV Online.
Middle East: TV: OSN Sports Cricket HD. Live Streaming: OSN Play.
South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa: TV: SuperSport Two. Live Streaming: SuperSport Live Video.
