With the Indian Fantasy League now more than one-third of the way through the league phase, the table makes for shocking reading, especially if you’re a Mumbai fan. The 5-time champions sit rock bottom after 5 straight defeats. Lucknow, one of the 2 new teams, are in 5th, just outside the play-off berths, after seeing a 3-match winning streak ended by Rajasthan in their last game.
Mumbai’s problems start with the ball. J. Bumrah hasn’t taken enough wickets, T. Mills and B. Thampi have been expensive, with only the leg-spin of M. Ashwin providing some consistency. But the batting hasn’t been great either. R. Sharma hasn’t fired, I. Kishan has been too one-paced, and K. Pollard is starting to resemble a tired veteran. S. Yadav has been brilliant since his return, and T. Varma has made a big impression, but Mumbai need more from their established names. It would also help if D. Brevis, the South African teenager nicknamed “Baby AB”, can continue his stunning form.
For Lucknow, whose strongest XI contains several fantasy cricket regulars, the key is to find the right balance. They have had to sacrifice the big hitting of E. Lewis to accommodate M. Stoinis, and included K. Gowtham in place of the off-color M. Pandey to strengthen their spin options as well. As of now, there is no need for Lucknow to press any panic buttons, but they don’t want the 2-point gap to top spot to become any wider.
For Mumbai, this becomes almost a knockout game. Teams have made the play-offs with 7 and 8 wins before, but if they lose this, they really will be in trouble.
Match Details
- Match: Mumbai vs. Lucknow, Match 26
- Venue: Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai
- Date & Time: Apr 16, 2022, at 3.30 PM IST
Mumbai vs. Lucknow Match 26 Probable Playing XIs
Team Mumbai
R. Sharma (C), I. Kishan (WK), D. Brevis, T. Varma, S. Yadav, K. Pollard, F. Allen, J. Unadkat, M. Ashwin, J. Bumrah, T. Mills
Team Lucknow
K.L. Rahul (C), Q. de Kock (WK), M. Pandey, M. Stoinis, D. Hooda, A. Badoni, K. Pandya, J. Holder, D. Chameera, R. Bishnoi, A. Khan
Lucknow vs Mumbai HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD
So far in their first season in the league, Lucknow have done far better than Mumbai, the most successful team in the competition’s history.
Weather Report
It’s summer time in Mumbai but the temperature will be a more moderate 30°C when this game starts mid-afternoon.
Pitch Report For Mumbai vs. Lucknow Match
The pitches at the Brabourne Stadium, owned by the Cricket Club of India, are red-soil based and usually high-scoring. The lowest total so far by a team batting first has been 177, and a score of 210 has been chased down.
Toss
Before the season began, teams batting first had won 6 of 9 games at the Brabourne. It’s mostly been the same pattern this year, with chasing teams winning 4 of 6. Interestingly, the last day-game was won by the team batting first.
TOP FANTASY PICKS For Mumbai vs. Lucknow Match
Team Mumbai
- I. Kishan has 178 runs for the season, but the strike-rate of 121.91 is far below where it should be. The big-hitting prowess has to be shown soon if Mumbai’s season is to be saved.
- S. Yadav has certainly strengthened Mumbai’s middle order after returning from injury. He has 163 runs from just 3 outings at a superb strike-rate of 158.25. With others not delivering, maybe he’ll need to bat higher up the order.
- J. Bumrah has not had the best season so far by his high standards. A tally of 4 wickets and an economy rate of 7.9 are average, especially when you consider that 3 of those wickets came in one game. Mumbai need him to burst through teams again.
Team Lucknow
- Q. de Kock was a star for Mumbai in previous seasons, but after a disappointing 2021, he’s rebuilding with a new team. So far, his 188 runs have come at a strike rate of 132.39 and includes 2 half-centuries.
- M. Stoinis hit a 17-ball 38 against Rajasthan, though it wasn’t quite enough for the win. But the Australian’s return from international duty gives Lucknow a priceless all-round asset.
- A. Khan has continued his excellent form of last season, though he has switched teams from Delhi. So far, he has 8 wickets from 5 matches at an average of 19.75 and an economy rate of 8.46.
Mumbai vs. Lucknow Match HOWZAT DREAM TEAM
- Wicketkeepers: I. Kishan, Q. de Kock, K.L. Rahul
- Batters: S. Yadav, M. Stoinis, D. Hooda
- All-rounders: J. Holder, D. Brevis
- Bowlers: A. Khan, J. Bumrah, M. Ashwin
- Captain: Q. de Kock/J. Holder
- Vice Captain: D. Brevis/S. Yadav
NOTE: The Howzat dream team above is just a suggestion. You can select your own team from today’s fantasy match prediction and play all the fantasy cricket matches of the Indian T20 League 2022. Also, don’t forget to make any necessary changes to your team once the actual playing 11 is announced by each team (30 minutes before the start of the match) as some players you have selected might not be part of the team playing.
Download the favorite fantasy cricket app and select your own team, Howzat!
