Friday’s IPL game between Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians in Mumbai will be a contest of contrasts. While the Titans are perched at the top of the points table with eight wins, Mumbai occupy the last slot with eight losses. On paper, there perhaps cannot be a more lopsided duel.

But the IPL is also about subplots and not every time do things unfold as per the script. So that fact that the Titans lost their last match snapping a five-match winning streak and that Mumbai managed to win their last game to end an eight-match drought, perhaps add a bit of spice to the encounter.

It is also true that Mumbai have nothing more to lose this season, having already endured a nightmarish campaign. The Titans though have a lot to play for. Yes, they have a foot in the play-offs, but there have been instances in the past of teams losing their way mid-season even after a brilliant start.

Rashid Khan (left) and Mohammed Shami (right) during Id celebrations in the Gujarat Titans team hotel. Twitter

Titans captain Hardik Pandya is aware of that. In one of the post-match presentation ceremonies, he had expressed concern, though with a smile, that they might have peaked early in the tournament.

The Titans’ loss in their last match came while defending a total. They have been spectacular chasers, but they wanted to test their skills while batting first. The experiment flopped as they succumbed to an eight-wicket loss against Punjab Kings.

That defeat also highlighted their batting frailties, which otherwise lay hidden under their wins, thanks to their powerful lower-order batting.

The top-order, especially, has been the Titans’ thorn in the flesh so far and it's time the IPL newcomers fix the issue going into the business end of the league. Shubman Gill has had a long lean patch and it has certainly made things worse for his team. Wriddhiman Saha, who has been opening the innings in the last few games along with Gill, has looked in good touch, but more is needed. Captain Hardik too has gone a little silent with the bat.

The middle and lower middle order of David Miller, Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan didn't get going in the last game and that made Titans' batting look very poor. So it’s imperative that Pandya and coach Ashish Nehra come up with a solution for their top-order crisis quickly before they lose their hard-earned confidence.

Mumbai will surely look to hit the Titans early in their batting innings. But then, do they have the bowlers to do so?

Jasprit Bumrah hasn't been as effective as he usually is. The India speedster has gone wicketless in six out of the nine games so far. Their other bowlers — Daniel Sams, Hrithik Shokeen, Kumar Kartikeya and Riley Meredith — are short on experience and impact. So it wouldn’t be easy for Rohit Sharma to implement all his plans.

Mumbai will not have the services of injured (ankle) left-arm pacer Tymal Mills. The franchise, in fact, have signed South African keeper-batter Tristan Stubbs as a replacement for the remainder of the season.

Mumbai will also be worried with their batting department. Captain Rohit and Ishan Kishan have failed to give the team good starts and thereafter the others have been inconsistent.

With the Titans having the bowling muscle of Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Shami, Alzarri Joseph and Rashid, Mumbai can only dream of a win if Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma and Tim David can wield their willows masterfully.