Mumbai Indians vs Rising Pune Supergiant: 5 key battles to watch out for

Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiant will square off in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2017 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday. These five player battles could be key in deciding the outcome of the match

When Mumbai Indians host Rising Pune Supergiant in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2017, it will be a shootout between the former’s bowling against the latter’s batting. (IPL 2017 FULL COVERAGE)

Ajinkya Rahane (L) and Jasprit Bumrah will come face to face in the IPL 2017 1st qualifier between Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiant at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday.(HT Photo/Agencies)

While Mumbai Indians boast of one of the best bowling units in this edition, Rising Pune Supergiant have some experienced batsmen in their line-up.

It will be a third encounter between both teams this season with Pune emerging victorious in the last two meetings. (RESULTS)

Here’s a look at some of the key clashes ahead of Tuesday’s high-voltage clash at the Wankhede Stadium:

Jasprit Bumrah vs Ajinkya Rahane

More often than not, Bumrah has delivered whenever Rohit Sharma has thrown the ball to him. The right-arm pacer’s task will be to stop Rahane, who hasn’t fired in the tournament so far but is due a big one. It will be an interesting tussle as Bumrah doesn’t give away too many runs in the initial overs while Rahane likes to have a go at the bowlers in the powerplays.

Rohit Sharma vs Adam Zampa

Rohit Sharma (L) has been dismissed by leg-spinners on five occasions this season. (HT Photo/Agencies)

Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit has been already been dismissed by leg-spinners on five occasions this season and he will have to be extra cautious when he lines up to hit the Australian leggie. While the advantage will be with Zampa, who was brought in after Imran Tahir’s departure, he will have to be cautious about not erring in line and length as Rohit is well capable of dispatching him into the stands.

Harbhajan Singh vs Steve Smith

Harbhajan Singh (R) has been economical with the ball this season. (HT Photo/Agencies)

Harbhajan bowled economically throughout this edition of the IPL till the last match, when Kings XI Punjab skipper Glenn Maxwell tore into him. This time the turbanator’s task will be to keep Rising Pune Supergiant captain Smith quiet. While Smith isn’t in the same attacking mould as Maxwell, he can pack a punch when required.

Krunal Pandya vs MS Dhoni

Krunal Pandya will face a big challenge when he bowls to former India captain MS Dhoni. (HT Photo/Agencies)

Pandya has not only done a good containing job in the middle overs for Mumbai Indians, but has also stopped partnerships blossoming. The Baroda left-arm spinner will face the biggest challenge of his IPL career when he comes up against Dhoni. The former India skipper has an immaculate record in big matches which Pandya lacks.

Parthiv Patel vs Jaydev Unadkat

Jaydev Unadkat’s (L) battle with Parthiv Patel will be one to watch out for. (HT Photo/Agencies)

Parthiv has been instrumental in laying the foundation for Mumbai Indians’ charge this season. While the wicketkeeper-batsman will look to get the ball rolling from the first ball, Unadkat will have to be smart to keep out of his range. The Saurashtra left-arm pacer has given Rising Pune Supergiant crucial breakthroughs and they will hope for an encore in Qualifier 1.