Defending champions Mumbai Indians will take on the Sunrisers Hyderabad in which will be the 17th match of the IPL 2020. Both teams will be feeling confident as after a poor start to their campaign this season, they have bounced back well to the winning ways.
Sunrisers Hyderabad on the other side started the tournament with consecutive losses but with the inclusion of Kane Williamson and young talent Abdul Samad, the team has started to make really good progress in the tournament.
The match against CSK saw sheet dominance by the bowlers once again as the top-order of CSK was dismissed cheaply. Though, the partnership of Dhoni and Jadeja threatened to take things away from SRH, SRH eventually ended on the winning side.
Mumbai Indians after a close encounter with RCB, which they lost in the super over made a really good recovery against the inform KXIP by defeating them by a large margin of 48 runs. Rohit Sharma has been leading from the front and is currently one of the highest run-getters this season.
Mumbai Indians after the loss to CSK in the opener have looked a completely different team. Can the defeating champions cement their place at the top of the table? Or will the 2016 champions continue their winning run?
Head to Head
Matches Played- 14, MI- 6, SRH-7, Tie- 1
Team News
Mumbai Indians have not reported any injuries and will be more than happy to feature the same Xl that won the game against KXlP.
Sunrisers Hyderabad one the other hand have a huge injury concern in the form of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, as the Indian pacer was seen struggling to finish his last over and was helped out of the ground. The extent of the injury has not yet been confirmed by the SRH management. They would be hoping he is fit to resume.
Siddharth Kaul could replace Kumar if the unfortunate event of him having to be kept out happens.
Pitch and Conditions
The pitch in Sharjah has been a paradise for the batsmen and is expected to be the same way. With the match scheduled to take place in the afternoon, the due will have no role to play.
The conditions are perfect for cricket as clear skies are expected throughout. The temperature is expected to be floating in the 32-34 degree range. As a relief to the players the humidity is slightly on the lower side- expected to hover around the 53-55 mark.
Probable Playing Xl
Mumbai Indians (MI): Rohit Sharma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, James Pattinson, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH): David Warner (c), Jonny Bairstow (wk), Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson, Abdul Samad, Abhishek Sharma, Priyam Garg, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar/ Siddharth Kaul, K Khaleel Ahmed, T Natarajan
Key Battles
Rohit Sharma (MI) vs Rashid Khan (SRH)
The MI captain is proving to be the best example of leading from the front. The Indian Opener recently crossed the 5000 run mark, which makes only the third batsmen in the history of the tournament. He has already scored 170 runs in the 4 matches this season and looks hungry for more as always.
SRH would want to remove the Right-hander as early as possible as he is one of the few players who can take away the game from the opposition once settled. Rashid Khan would be their best option to do the job. The 22-year old is having an amazing season in terms of containing the batsman and is also doing a decent job in the wickets column.
Can the leg-breaker expose the weakness of the MI captain? Or will it be another Hitman Show?
David Warner (SRH) vs Trent Boult (MI)
The SRH captain is having a decent season so far but will be hitting himself as he could not convert some of his good starts to big one in this season. He would definitely be happy with the team’s comeback into the season and will be hoping they can continue the good run. With Warner showing glimpses of his real potential in the last two games. It is a matter of time the Australian scores big.
The New Zealand pacer Trent Boult has been doing a great job for the MI and will be eyeing the priceless wicket of the SRH captain. Warner has seen struggling to play the in-swinging deliveries from the last few months and the teams already made to capitalize on it. The New Zealand pacer has one of the best in-swingers in the sports. It will be a great battle to see both veterans battle it out.
Can Boult swing his way past the Australian? Or will the pocket Dynamite show resistance?
Prediction
Both the teams look good on the sheets. Mumbai Indians after their loss have come back well into the tournament to claim the top spot. The replacement of Saurabh Tiwary with Ishan Kishan has been a welcome one for the Mi, as the youngster is showcasing some world class batting.
Sunrisers Hyderabad too after a depleting period in the first week have bounced back really well to win back to back matches and climb the ladder. The team looks well settled now with the inclusion of Kane Williamson and youngster Abdul Samad who has been doing great with both the bat and ball.
Given that the game is scheduled to take place in Sharjah, which is one of the best for the batsmen to play their shots. Mumbai Indians will have a great advantage with the likes of Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard in their side.
The Head to Head ratio favors the SRH side but current form and conditions clearly are in favor of the defending champions.
Cricwizz predicts Mumbai Indians to win the match
