Mumbai has the edge against Hyderabad
SHARJAH: Boasting of an explosive batting line-up that complements its death bowling, Mumbai Indians (MI) will have its nose ahead in the Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) here on Sunday.
Ahead of the game, Hyderabad has a worry as doubts remain over Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s participation. Pace spearhead Bhuvneshwar picked up an injury on Friday and was unable to complete his final over in the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) match in Dubai. He walked off the field with the help of the team physiotherapist.
In the event Bhuvneshwar misses out, Mumbai will fancy its chances more at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, whose boundaries are much shorter than Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The defending champion, having humbled Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in its last game, is unlikely to make any changes to the winning combination.
Captain Rohit Sharma is in sublime form and can pummel any attack into submission on his day. While wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock has been poor so far, Suryakumar Yadav would be more than keen to convert his starts. The biggest positive for MI is that its middle-order is delivering, with Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard coming good.
Apart from pacers Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult and James Pattinson, spinners Rahul Chahar and Krunal Pandya have played their parts to perfection. SRH will also take a lot of confidence from its seven-run win over CSK, where all its youngsters delivered.
The team management would hope that skipper David Warner, Jonny Bairstow and Manish Pandey are among the runs.
Kane Williamson too is a certainty in the playing eleven, given his ability to take the innings deep. If the seniors fire, young guns Abhishek Sharma, Priyam Garg and Abdul Samad will be under less pressure.
In case Bhuvneshwar is unavailable, left-arm fast bowlers Thangarasu Natarajan and Khaleel Ahmed will lead the attack. Rashid Khan will be SRH’s trump card in the middle overs.