Brian Lara feels Mumbai Indians (MI) have the advantage against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) as the two face off in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday.
“MI is getting into a little bit of form with a recent victory. It was great to see Romario Shepherd, the West Indian, do well,” Brian Lara told said exclusively during the ‘Star Sports Press Room’.
Lara feels the return of Suryakumar Yadav makes MI a much stronger side on paper and on the field.
“MI knows their batting order. SKY played a bit out of form, he hasn’t scored any runs. I think they’re in a better position to really press this rivalry into their favour. It is Mumbai’s best chance to play because they’ve solved a few problems. Suryakumar Yadav is back on the field; he did not contribute the other day, but the fact that he’s back on the field makes them a much stronger unit,” Brian Lara said.
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Lara added that the Faf du Plessis-led RCB side have ‘structural problem’ and their batting order is not right.
“I think their timing was very well. RCB is facing more of a structural problem, their form is okay. But I don’t think that they have the right team out in the middle. I don’t think that they have the right batting order,” Lara said.
“RCB is still searching to find what their best form is, their best team. And a player like Mahipal Lomror, who I think has done everything asked of him, he came as an impact player, done well and still did not play in the match against the Rajasthan Royals. I think they should just shift their attention a lot more to the local talent. A lot of emphasis is placed on the international talent and what they can do and how many matches they can win for RCB. Of course, you’ve got Virat Kohli, but I think they’ve truly got good local talent, and you cannot win an IPL trophy without performances from the local stars. I’d like to see them included more in critical moments of the game,” he added.
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