Mumbai
A leg spasm had forced Rohit to miss an IPL game for the first time in 11 seasons when he sat out of Mumbai’s last game against Kings XI Punjab.
In his absence, stand-in skipper Kieron Pollard ensured MI continued its good run as his whirlwind 83-run knock helped the side script a three-wicket win in a humdinger on Wednesday.
The winning runs were hit by 22-year-old Alzarri Joseph, who has been the new sensation in this year’s T20 league.
After a dream debut where he returned with best IPL figures of six for 12 against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Alzarri (15 not out) played a crucial cameo against Kings XI to romp the side home.
So it would be interesting to see whether the Antigua-born Joseph and the big-hitting Pollard can carry their form into Saturday’s game.
Another West Indian who would be in focus is Jofra Archer, who had given Rajasthan Royal a chance to defend 151 against Chennai Super Kings with a superb spell of fast bowling.
Mumbai is currently placed at the third spot with four wins from six matches, while Rajasthan is languishing at the seventh position with a solitary win from six matches.
Rohit’s injury had given a scare to India ahead of the World Cup but Pollard has made it clear that the skipper missed the last game just as a precautionary measure and he should be back in the next game.
“Obviously, Rohit is the captain of the team and it was only a precautionary measure for the team. He should be back in the next game,” Pollard had said.
Rohit’s inclusion will not only put to rest any doubts about his fitness but also boost the Mumbai’s batting line-up, which also comprises Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya and ever-reliable Surya Kumar Yadav.
The host has death overs specialist Jasprit Bumrah along with Australian pacer Jason Behrendorff apart from Joseph.
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