Sunrisers look to increase MI woes
HEAD TO HEAD
Four last-over defeats for Mumbai Indians have left them hurting and it is turning out to be a frustrating season for the defending champions as they have failed to find the finishing touch.
They have less than 48 hours to recover from the heartbreaking loss to Rajasthan Royals on Sunday, and it will be a test of their resilience as they look to buck the trend against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Tuesday.
Facing Sunrisers is bound to open up a few old wounds. Like Rajasthan Royals, Sunrisers had inflicted a similar blow by snatching a last-ball win in Hyderabad in their first-leg clash.
Mumbai’s problem of losing close matches is graver than it appears as the culprits are their established players. On Sunday, Surya Kumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan had set up the perfect platform for final assault, but skipper Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya and Kieron Pollard all flopped.
On 129/1 after 14 overs and with Rohit, Pollard and the Pandya brothers to follow, 200 was definitely on the cards. But to restrict Mumbai to 167 was job half done for Rajasthan. Mumbai lost six wickets for 39 runs scoring at 6.5 runs per over in the last six overs and that is where they
MUMBAI:
Mumbai Indians Total matches Sunrisers Hyderabad
Sunrisers defeated Mumbai by one wicket in their first match of the season.
Mumbai Indians have won just one match in the last five encounters against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
lost the plot.
On Tuesday, Sunrisers bowling is tipped to ask more questions than Rajasthan. Even though Mumbai are home at the Wankhede, in Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul, Billy Stanlake, Rashid Khan and Shakib Al Hasan, Sunrisers have the arsenal to test any batting.
Mumbai’s game plan has gone awry. Yadav, Kishan and legspinner Mayank Markande were to be the support cast but have been left to play central roles. Keiron Pollard’s role is to hit the big ones in the last two-three overs. But he is yet to find his touch. In five games, he has 54 runs at a strike rate of 105.88. It pales in comparison to his IPL’s average strike-rate of over-145.