We are just into the 3rd week of Vivo IPL 11 but we have witnessed several last balls and last over thrillers which have kept the tournament in the right shape. With just 1/3rd of the tournament completed, Mumbai Indians meet the Sunrisers Hyderabad for the 2nd time in the tournament. They will definitely gain heart from the fact that they will be playing on their home ground, the Wankhede Stadium.
This year’s journey has been an unfortunate one for Mumbai so far. They have lost 4 last over thrillers out of 5 and is in a bother at the moment. However, the team is known for bouncing back from the toughest of situations and you cannot rule out this prospect so early on in the tournament. The batting department has looked pretty organized.
However, in the previous encounter against the Rajasthan Royals, the batsmen let themselves down in the last 5 overs. The inconsistency of champion bowler Jasprit Bumrah has also been one of the major shortcomings for Mumbai in this edition so far. Young leggie Mayank Markane who burst on to the scene with some spectacular performances has faded off a little. In the last 3 matches, he has only bagged a solitary wicket. Now it is time for Rohit Sharma to go up to him and say that: You are still a match winner and I still have the faith and confidence in you despite giving you just two overs in the previous game.
Mumbai have been largely inconsistent. When the bowlers have fired, they have turned losing matches around. However, their consistency has been the major factor behind Mumbai losing 4 matches. It was a Krishnappa Gowtham special which helped Rajasthan clinch a last over thriller at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur.
On the other hand, Hyderabad is also coming off a last-ball defeat in the previous encounter against the Chennai Super Kings. Skipper Williamson played a terrific knock. However, it didn’t prove to be enough in the end as they fell short by just 4 runs. Hyderabad has always been a team which has banked on his bowlers. They have been overly reliant on Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rashid Khan at times which has brought about their downfall.
The young man from Afghanistan, Rashid Khan got a dent in the reputation of being the No 1 T20 bowler in the previous two encounters. He was smashed for 4 sixes on a trot by Chris Gayle while he got a hammering at the hands of Ambati Rayudu and Suresh Raina against the Chennai Super Kings. Even in their first match against the Mumbai Indians, their bowling department managed to save them from the blushes.
The batting unit made a mess of the target and in the end, it was a boundary from Billy Stanlake which handed them a 1 wicket victory in the final delivery of the match.
Photo by: Deepak Malik / IPL/ SPORTZPICS
Team Combinations
Mumbai Indians
Despite the results not coming their way, Mumbai Indians has looked a settled unit. Most of their players look in good shape. In all likelihood, the home team will field the same XI that lost against Rajasthan the other day.
Predicted XI: Suryakumar Yadav, Evin Lewis, Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Mitchell McClenaghan, Mayank Markande, Jasprit Bumrah, Mustafizur Rahman.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Bhuvneshwar Kumar hasn’t travelled with the team and won’t be part of the playing XI in today’s encounter. Opener Shikhar Dhawan also looks doubtful. His participation will depend on the fitness test he will undergo ahead of the match. Sandeep Sharma might replace Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Alex Hales
Predicted XI: Alex Hales/Shikhar Dhawan, Wriddhiman Saha, Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Yusuf Pathan, Wriddhiman Saha, Rashid Khan, Siddarth Kaul, Billy Stanlake, Sandeep Sharma.
Match Predictions
It is expected to be a crackerjack of a contest. Mumbai is a too good a team to lose 5 out of 6. So I will favour of the law of averages. We also know that Mumbai loves bouncing back from tough situations and today can well be one such day. So I am backing Mumbai to win today’s clash.