Desperate SRH run into Mumbai
New Delhi, May 3: Back in the groove after two consecutive wins, defending champions Mumbai Indians will be firm favourites to put it past the turbulence-hit and bottomplaced Sunrisers Hyderabad in an IPL game here on Tuesday. Mumbai will enter the game after their four-wicket win over in-form Chennai Super Kings courtesy Kieron Pollard's blitzkrieg.
SunRisers, in contrast, suffered a humiliating 55run loss to Rajasthan Royals, their sixth in seven games this season. They are also battling a transitional phase in which Kane Williamson has taken over captaincy from an out of form David Warner, leaving him disappointed.
Mumbai openers Rohit Sharma (250 runs) and Quinton De Kock (155 runs) would be itching to give the five-time champions another strong platform and also convert their starts into big scores.
Mumbai's hard-hitting middle-order has clicked in the last two games, which would be quite pleasing for the team management. Pollard (168 runs), who blazed his way to a matchwinning 87 off 34 balls in the last game, would be keen to continue from where he left.
The likes of Krunal Pandya (100 runs), Hardik Pandya (52 runs) and the flamboyant Suryakumar Yadav (173 runs) can be destructive on their day and the trio wouldbe aiming to fire in unison.
Also, it remains to be seen if Mumbai plays Ishan Kishan or Jayant Yadav in place of allrounder James Neesham, who neither scored big nor was able to pick up wickets. However, the Mumbai bowlers would need to forget the hammering received at the hands of the CSK batsmen and start afresh.
The pace duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult would pose a big threat.