IPL 2020: 'The last loss will be like a slight wake-up call for the Mumbai Indians' - Aakash Chopra

Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra has opined that the mauling the Mumbai Indians (MI) received at the hands of the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) could prove to be a wake-up call for them ahead of their clash against the Delhi Capitals in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2020.

He made this observation while talking about the strengths and weaknesses of the Rohit Sharma-led team in a video shared on his YouTube channel.

Aakash Chopra started by pointing out that squad depth is the Mumbai Indians' biggest strength. He cited the examples of Ishan Kishan and Nathan Coulter-Nile covering up admirably for Rohit Sharma and James Pattinson respectively.

"Mumbai Indians have a lot of strengths. They have more than one player for every spot. Because when Ishan was playing and Rohit was not there, none of us missed Rohit. Pattinson goes and Nathan Coulter-Nile comes, you don't see too much of a difference."

While acknowledging that there are no substitutes for Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult, the renowned commentator observed that the Mumbai Indians even managed to do without Hardik Pandya.

"There is obviously no replacement for Bumrah and Boult, some players will definitely not have one in this tournament. Whether Hardik is there or not, that also did not impact them. This is the kind of depth that they have, which makes them special."

Aakash Chopra listed the Mumbai Indians' aggressive batting approach throughout their innings as another of their unique traits.

"The other special thing is their fearless approach to batting. This is the only team which has the ability to continuously hit right through the innings and they play in that fashion as well. The other teams get conservative but they do not."

He also spoke highly of the Mumbai Indians bowling attack.

"Last but not the least, their bowling. What depth they have in their bowling. Bumrah, Boult, Pattinson, two spinners and then you have Kieron Pollard. So they have 6 good bowlers and the wicket-taking ability of Bumrah and Boult is coming to the fore almost every single time."

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Aakash Chopra on the concerns for the Mumbai Indians

Ishan Kishan has stood out for the Mumbai Indians at the top of the order [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra pointed out that a slight area of concern for the Mumbai Indians is that Ishan Kishan may not be able to display the same magic that he showed at the top of the order with Rohit Sharma coming back into the team as an opener.

"The only problem I am seeing is that now since Rohit has come you will expect him to score runs but will Ishan Kishan be able to play with the same freedom at the spot he is playing now."

The former KKR player also highlighted that the thrashing the Mumbai Indians received from the Sunrisers Hyderabad could have shaken them into action.

"The last loss will be like a slight wake-up call for them that they will not win if they rest everyone, in fact they couldn't even compete properly against Hyderabad."

Aakash Chopra signed off by picking the Mumbai Indians as the likely victors of tonight's encounter against the Delhi Capitals.

"I am going with the Mumbai Indians as they are the better team on paper."

With Mumbai Indians having come up trumps in both their encounters against the Delhi Capitals in the league phase, they would certainly be considered as the favourites for today's clash. A win for either team would help them seal a spot in the IPL 2020 final, while the loser will have to cross swords with the winners of the Eliminator in Qualifier 2.