For the second successive season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have started their campaign with two defeats. They lost their opening fixture to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), and then fell six runs short of the victory against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
More than the defeats, the manner in which they lost their games – coming too close but stumbling inches before the finishing line – will be a matter of serious concern for SRH. They will now take on Mumbai Indians (MI) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, on Saturday, 17 April.
Against Royal Challengers Bangalore, the SRH middle-order failed to get 35 runs in the last four overs. The runs simply stopped coming once David Warner fell. Manish Pandey’s inability to accelerate despite playing too many balls has not helped their cause either. They might try tinkering with their batting order, after Wriddhiman Saha has failed to provide them with a good start in the Powerplay.
If Jonny Bairstow opens the innings with Warner, Saha may have to make way for Kedar Jadhav – unfortunately, another batter with an ordinary strike rate. Priyam Garg is another option. On the bowling front, they are likely to continue with Jason Holder, with Rashid Khan and Shahbaz Nadeem as their two spinners.
Chasing has not been easy in Chennai. Both teams would like to bat first, put up a decent total, and choke their opponents with disciplined bowling.
Riding high on confidence after pulling out an improbable victory against KKR, MI have very little to worry about when it comes to squad composition. They have got their bases covered.
Although there are still some lingering doubts over how they overcome the slowness of the Chepauk surface, which is quite contrasting to the conditions they are used to. The MI batsmen struggled to pick up the variations from Andre Russell, and were bundled out for 152. This time they face arguably a more potent bowling attack, and the daunting challenge of Rashid.
Since there are multiple pitches in Chennai, it is not easy to assess how this one play out. However, expect both teams to include extra spinners if the conditions demand. In that case, Mohammad Nabi may replace Holder, while Marco Jansen may have to make way for Jayant Yadav. However, MI seldom fiddles around with their team combinations.
Head to head
Both teams are tied with eight victories each.
Key Players
- Rashid Khan (Sunrisers Hyderabad): Even with a slight hint of turn on the surface, facing Khan can be a deadly proposition. He will be the key for SRH to put brakes on MI’s batters.
- Suryakumar Yadav (Mumbai Indians): Not only is Suryakumar is in sublime form, he also averages in excess of 50 at Chepauk.
Likely XIs
Mumbai Indians: Quinton de Kock (wk), Rohit Sharma (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Marco Jansen, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah
Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner (c), Jonny Bairstow (wk), Manish Pandey, Vijay Shankar, Kedar Jadhav, Rashid Khan, Jason Holder, Abdul Samad, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shahbaz Nadeem, T Natarajan
Prediction:
SRH to register the first victory of their season.