Big picture: Mumbai’s batting vs Titans’ bowling

So this is essentially a battle between Mumbai’s powerful batters and Titans’ wily bowlers.

Table-toppers Gujarat Titans possess a lethal bowling attack, spearheaded by Mohammed Shami and Rashid Khan who, along with Chennai Super Kings’ Tushar Deshpande, jointly sit atop the wicket-takers’ chart this season with 19 scalps each.

Shami has consistently troubled batters with the new ball, with captain Hardik Pandya giving him good support from the other end. Rashid, meanwhile, gets his support from fellow Afghan wristspinner Noor Ahmad, as the two chip away in the middle overs.

A win on Friday will secure Titans a top-two finish in the league stage, while Mumbai Indians – who moved from No. 8 into the top four with their win against RCB – can ill afford a slip-up in a congested table.

Mumbai Indians WLWWL (last five matches, most recent first)
Gujarat Titans WWLWW

Team news: Tilak Varma fit again

After missing Mumbai’s last two games with a hamstring niggle, Varma is fit to play again against Titans.

With the exception of Varma, who will start if they bat first or come in as Impact Player for Akash Madhwal if they are chasing, Mumbai are likely to stick with the same team that beat RCB.

Mumbai Indians (probable XII): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Ishan Kishan (wk), 3 Suryakumar Yadav, 4 Tilak Varma, 5 Cameron Green, 6 Nehal Wadhera, 7 Tim David, 8 Chris Jordan, 9 Piyush Chawla, 10 Jason Behrendorff, 11 Kumar Kartikeya, 12 Akash Madhwal

Titans are also unlikely to make any changes, with Alzarri Joseph continuing in Josh Little’s absence.

Gujarat Titans (probable XII): 1 Shubman Gill, 2 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 3 Hardik Pandya (capt), 4 Vijay Shankar, 5 David Miller, 6 Abhinav Manohar, 7 Rahul Tewatia, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Alzarri Joseph, 10 Noor Ahmad, 11 Mohammed Shami, 12 Mohit Sharma

The Wankhede Stadium has been a batting paradise, and with dew expected, the toss assumes more importance as both teams may want to chase.