Chris Jordan vs Riley Meredith - who should MI pick for IPL 2023 Eliminator against LSG?

Mumbai Indians (MI) will face Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 Eliminator at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday, May 24. Lucknow booked their playoffs berth with a nervous one-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their last league game.

In contrast, Mumbai secured their spot in much more convincing fashion, hammering SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) by eight wickets at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

While MI have done well to win eight of their 14 matches despite a not-so-strong bowling attack [due to injuries], the department remains a concern, especially heading into the Eliminator.

A number of times the batters have bailed out MI, chasing down 200-plus targets on the back of their might with the willow. They did the same against SRH as well in the last game. However, on Wednesday, they won’t have the cushion of home conditions (Wankhede Stadium), where MI have chased down 200 or more with amazing ease.

The bowling is likely to come under the scanner against LSG at Chepauk. One of the big headaches for them heading into the knockout clash will be making a choice between pacers Chris Jordan and Riley Meredith.

In this feature, we try and analyze who would be the better pick for MI in the crunch clash.

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Jordan vs Meredith - IPL 2023 form guide

Chris Jordan has been extremely expensive, without claiming too many wickets. (Pic: iplt20.com)

Jordan was brought into the Mumbai setup as a replacement player after fellow England fast bowler Jofra Archer was ruled out yet again due to injury. He has played four matches, but has been very expensive (economy rate of 10.88), while claiming only two wickets at an average of 87.

Jordan is supposed to be a death-overs specialist, but has been clobbered around the park in most games when he has come in to bowl the end overs. The pacer came in for heavy criticism from Sunil Gavaskar after conceding 24 runs in his final over when MI met LSG in the league stage.

Launching a scathing attack on the bowler, Gavaskar told Star Sports:

“If you are bowling the 17th or 18th over, you are experienced and should know where to bowl. Where all [did] you bowl? He bowled in the slot, a full toss at a perfect height, and then on the leg side where the fielders were inside the circle."

Joran also played in MI’s last league game against SRH. He did claim the wicket of Glenn Phillips, but went for 42 runs in his four overs. As such, the think tank would not have much confidence in him ahead of the Eliminator against Lucknow Super Giants.

Aussie speedster Meredith has played five matches for MI in IPL 2023 in which he has claimed seven wickets at an average of 29.57 and an economy rate of 10.53. The fast bowler has a couple of good performances to his credit. He picked up 2/34 against Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi and 2/33 against SRH in Hyderabad.

Meredith, however, found himself out of the MI playing XI after a couple of expensive spells. He registered figures of 1/49 against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad and 1/51 versus Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

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The better choice for MI?

Riley Meredith last played a game on April 30. (Pic: iplt20.com)

It will be a tough decision for Mumbai Indians to pick between Jordan and Meredith for neither has grabbed their opportunities to the fullest.

If we talk about Jordan, he has failed to stop the flow of runs and does not have the wickets to show for his efforts. But he has the experience and has delivered the goods for England in some of the other franchise leagues. His performances in the IPL over the years, though, have been very ordinary.

Speaking of Meredith, his economy rate in IPL 2023 is pretty similar to that of Jordan, but to be fair to him, he has picked up some key wickets in the games that he has featured in.

As such, Meredith could be considered a better choice between the two. However, there would be concerns over the Aussie pacer being slightly rusty as he hasn’t played a game since April 30.

Mumbai Indians will be in a quandary for sure over the Jordan vs Meredith debate. Who should get the nod? Well, it’s better to wait and watch.