David Warner-led Sunrisers Hyderabad will look to bounce back from consecutive defeats and get their first points of the season when they take on defending champions Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League in Chennai on Saturday.
Batting will be a concern for Hyderabad going into their third match of the season after their inability to chase down 149 in their previous game against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
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Mumbai, on the other hand, will be confident heading into the match after their impressive win over Kolkata Knight Riders where they defended 152 at the Chepauk.
The Sunrisers might tweak their batting order against MI, with the likes of Kedar Jadhav, Priyam Garg and Abhishek Sharma waiting in the wings. The 2016 IPL champions have struggled in the lower middle order will be keen to add some reinforcements.
If Kane Williamson is fit, Warner might want to bring him in as the New Zealand star has shown his class time and again in different roles.
Head-to-head
| Mat | MI wins | SRH wins |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | 8 | 8 |
Mumbai, too, have struggled with the bat so far and registered totals of 159 and 152 so far. The Chennai pitches haven’t been conducive for strokeplay but the five-time champions will be keen to put in a better performance against a quality Sunrisers attack.
No batsman apart from Suryakumar Yadav has looked convincing in the first two games for Mumbai. Captain Rohit Sharma has shown sparks of brilliance but he would want to up his strike-rate. While big-hitters Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard have struggled to get going too.
They will have their task cut out against the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan and T Natarajan.
This promises to be an interesting encounter as Hyderabad’s big strength is clearly their bowling while Mumbai have a powerful batting lineup. For the men in orange to give themselves a good chance of winning this match, they’ll need to make the most of the helpful Chennai pitch and restrict Rohit and Co to a low total.
Key matchups
Boult vs Warner: He is the captain of the team, their premier batsman and also the man in form. A lot depends on Warner’s form as far as the Sunrisers are concerned. With the middle order not really formidable, Warner’s runs become all the more crucial. In Trent Boult, Mumbai have a solid option to attack Warner with. The left-arm pacer can swing the ball away from the left-hander and their battle could go a long way in determining the outcome of the match.
Rashid vs Suryakumar: For Mumbai, Suryakumar Yadav has looked the most promising batsman so far. With scores of 31 and 56 under his belt, the right-hander will once again be an important link for MI in the middle order. But he could have his task cut out against Rashid. The Afghan leg-spinner is once again in fine form and there’s no batsman in world cricket he can’t pose a challenge for. He usually operates just after the powerplay and Sunrisers will hope he can put in the squeeze in the middle overs again.
Bhuvneshwar vs Hardik and Pollard: Mumbai’s most dangerous duo is yet to hit top gear and the right-handers will be keen to find form against Hyderabad. The Chepauk track is challenging for strokeplay and if Hardik and Pollard can strikes some blows at the death, it could prove to be decisive in a low-scoring match. They, however, will need to cope with Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The senior pacer is one of the finest white-ball bowlers and his accuracy in the final overs of the innings will be crucial for Hyderabad. Bhuvneshwar, along with T Natarajan, will do a big job for their team if they can contain Mumbai’s big hitters.
Squads
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Anmolpreet Singh, Chris Lynn, Saurabh Tiwary, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jasprit Bumrah, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Mohsin Khan, Hardik Pandya, Jayant Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Anukul Roy, Ishan Kishan, Quinton de Kock, Aditya Tare, Adam Milne, Nathan Coulter Nile, Piyush Chawla, James Neesham, Yudhvir Charak, Marco Jansen, Arjun Tendulkar.
Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner (c), Kane Williamson, Virat Singh, Manish Pandey, Priyam Garg, Wriddhiman Saha, Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy, Sreevats Goswami, Vijay Shankar, Mohammad Nabi, Kedar Jadhav, J Suchit, Jason Holder, Abhishek Sharma, Abdul Samad, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, T Natarajan, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, Siddharth Kaul, Basil Thampi, Shahbaz Nadeem and Mujeeb ur Rahman.