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Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad will clash against each other at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday.
Mumbai Indians secured their second consecutive victory of the season, as they defeated Chennai Super Kings by just four wickets on Saturday. I now have four wins in their seven matches and are currently fourth on the points table. On the other hand, Sunrisers Hyderabad are reeling at the bottom of the table and have just one win in their seven matches so far.
Sunrisers Hyderabad were convincingly beaten by Rajasthan Royals on Sunday. Kane Williamson was appointed as the SRH captain after the team made a poor start to the season under David Warner. Moreover, the Australian batsman was dropped from the playing eleven, and Mohammed Nabi was selected as his replacement. SRH were beaten by 55 runs, as Jos Buttler scored an astonishing knock of 124 runs.
Mumbai Indians are coming on the back of an incredible victory against Chennai Super Kings. The defending champions chased down a massive total of 219 runs, where Kieron Pollard produced an all-round performance. The West Indian came into bat when MI were three wickets down, and the required run rate was creeping up to 13 runs over per over. However, Pollard smashed an unbeaten knock of 87 runs which helped MI win their fourth game of the season. With the ball, he picked up two successive wickets to dismiss Faf du Plessis and Suresh Raina.
Mumbai Indians defeated Rajasthan Royals last week, and have regained their form. The batting unit has stood up in the last two matches, chasing down heavy totals. Ishan Kishan has been dropped from the playing eleven, as MI have opted to have an extra bowler in their lineup. As a result, Krunal Pandya has been promoted to number four in the batting lineup.
Key Players
Rohit Sharma scored 35 runs against Chennai Super Kings but was dismissed by Shardul Thakur, just when it seemed he was getting a move on. The MI skipper has had a fruitful season with the bat so far, scoring 250 runs in his seven innings at an average of 35.71. However, Rohit has managed to score just one half-century this season, that came against Punjab Kings. The Indian batsman has gotten off to good starts this season but has failed to convert them into huge knocks on a consistent basis.
Rahul Chahar has been Mumbai Indians’ standout bowler this season and has picked up 11 wickets at an average of 18.36. Moreover, in Mi’s last outing against Sunrisers Hyderabad, he picked up four wickets as the reigning champions defended a low total. He went wicketless in the last game against Chennai Super Kings and conceded 32 runs in his four-over spell. However, that was a decent performance considering the short boundaries in Delhi. Moreover, SRH batsman have struggled to play against spin bowling this season.
Jonny Bairstow has been SRH’s best batsman so far. The English opener has smashed 248 runs in his seven innings so far, at an average of 41.33. He has a strike rate of over 140 and has scored runs at a blistering pace. The Englishman batted in the middle order in the opening few games but has been promoted to the top of the order recently. The short boundaries in Delhi will suit Bairstow’s style of play, as he can clear the boundary with comparative ease.
Rashid Khan delivered another impressive performance against Rajasthan Royals on Sunday. The SRH spinner has had a good season so far, picking up 10 wickets in his seven matches so far at an average of 17.20. The Afghanistan spinner picked up one wicket in his four-over spell, and conceded just 24 runs. He will have to be on top of his game on Tuesday, as the likes of Kieron Pollard, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya are good players of spin bowling.
Prediction
Mumbai Indians enter the contest as the favorites, having secured back to back wins. Moreover, the defending champions have the mental edge over Williamson’s men, having secured a win over them a few weeks ago.
Sunrisers Hyderabad are yet to find their correct balance, and a few more changes are expected on Tuesday. They lack the depth in their batting lineup, as the middle order has failed to deliver this season. Bhuvneshwar Kumar returned from injury against RR but failed to pick up a single wicket. On the other hand, Jasprit Bumrah’s form is a major concern for Mumbai Indians, as the Indian pacer recorded his worst figures in IPL against Chennai Super Kings.
However, MI’s batting unit has been doing a fine job after recovering from a poor start to the season. Hardik Pandya struck a few heavy blows against CSK, and it is only a matter of time before he regains his form.
